My Guardian Angel
by Dr. Pepper's Peach
Summary: A new ally helps the gang during Founder's Day. How will the plot differ when the powerful, playful new character has vengeance on mind?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. **

**Enjoy. **

Isabella steps into the crowd, thankful for her inconspicuous wear. She had followed Emily Bennett's spell to this small town, Mystic Falls. Her timing, however, is incredibly off. She ought to have arrived at least a week before to search for her possession in town and the Founder's Day parade would have been the perfect time to get the moonstone.

"Let's welcome the Mystic Falls stunning ladies and their handsome escorts. Miss Mystic Falls, Caroline Forbes!" A woman's voice rings out through the speakers and Isabella instantly winces. It would take some time to get used to the super hearing again. After her "death," she had to train herself all over again.

She moves through the cheering bodies and leans against a tall tree, still having a clear view of the Miss Mystic Falls float.

She looks at the ladies and when her eyes land on Elena, she sends a silent 'thank you' to Emily. Her advice has worked after all.

She looks around once last time and heads to the tomb.

"Anna!" Isabella hugs the small stature girl tightly. She hadn't been expecting company in the tomb, but it makes sense for Anna to want to be at the place which held her mother's lingering scent.

"Isa?"

"I go by 'Bella' nowadays. Have to keep up with the times, right?" Bella teases. Her smile slips off her face with her next statement, "I'm sorry about Pearl."

Anna's face hardens. "How did you know?"

"I heard Johnathan Gilbert talking to the Mayor."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Anna replies softly.

"Oh, sweetheart." Bella wraps her arm around Anna's shoulders.

"But you know the real reason I called you…"

And she does know. When Bella had gotten the call, she was shocked to learn the tomb had been opened and the vampires released. Emily had told her the amulet was destroyed by her own self, yet the open tomb stands as proof right before her own eyes. Perhaps this is just another sign that Bella is needed here.

"So they're planning revenge on the Founding Families?" Bella inquires.

"Yeah, tonight. When the fireworks are scheduled."

"But I saw John with the Gilbert device."

"You what?"

Bella nods in affirmative. Anna grabs her arm and leads her out of the tomb.

"We need to talk to Damon, then," Anna states.

"Damon?"

"He's a vampire. He's also in the Anti-Vampire council."

Bella raises her eyebrows, prompting Anna to continue.

"Basically, he's an inside ear and keeps his brother and himself safe and unknown."

Bella smiles slightly, awed at the vampire; most just turn their emotions off and go through the centuries aimlessly.

She follows Anna slowly through the crowd, growing bored of the slow human pace.

"There he is," Anna informs.

Bella could make out 'Damon's' strong features from here; his black hair, baby blue eyes, crooked nose, smooth lips, and a sharp jaw.

"Color me impressed," Bella whispers.

Damon smirks. A new voice, a new person, a new body, and new food. And from the smell, she would be delicious.

"Damon?"

"You're still around? Thought you'd run by now," he replies, without turning around.

Anna grabs his arm and he lets her drag him to a corner. He catches the delicious scent following close behind him. _Huh. Either it's a friend of hers or she's compelling her food to follow. _

"What do you want?"

"There's something you need to know," she begins, "The vampires from the tomb are planning an attack. They want revenge on the Founding families. Tonight."

"How do you know this?" Damon asks, keeping track of the dark silhouette leaning against the wall to his right.

"They think I'm helping them."

"Are you?"

"No. I'm not," Anna confesses.

"When?" Damon commands.

"When the firework starts."

Damon rolls his head slowly. "John Gilbert wants to use his invention on them."

"Then we shouldn't be here!" Anna exclaims.

"It doesn't work. It's been deactivated."

"Deactivated?" The sudden question makes Anna flinch, but Damon merely turns to the shadow.

"You are?"

"Bella." She steps closer to them and Damon trails his eyes over her heel boots, skinny jeans, and a black leather jacket. _Just my type,_ he thinks. His eyes widen when they meet her green eyes, lined with thin eyeliner.

"Well, hello there," he says, in a sultry voice.

She smirks. "Who deactivated the Gilbert device? As far as I'm aware, there's only one witch in town, and not a powerful one at that."

Damon scowls, narrowing his eyes. "How would you know? I've never seen you around here before."

"I have my ways."

"You're just a human! How do you know about vampires and the device?"

"And that's where you're mistaken. I'm not human." She smirks.

"What are you, then?"

"Complicated."

"Why are you so certain Bonnie wasn't able to deactivate it?" Damon growls.

"She didn't even try it."

"What?" Damon gapes.

"Her roots lie with the witches. Most of them hate vampires, as does she. You think she'll deactivate the device that's meant to injure, or in her eyes, kill vampires?"

Damon realizes there is truth to her words and they are _reasonable_. However, he's not used to not being right. He hates being told what to do and hates even more to be wrong.

"You could be wrong."

"I've never been," she replies in a bored tone.

"Regardless," Anna butts in, "Even if the device doesn't work, there are more than fifteen vampires loose right now, planning on wrecking havoc."

"I have to get Elena and Stefan out of here," Damon mumbles under his breath.

Bella's head whips around to meet his eyes. "_What?" _

"Nothing."

Damon stalks off, not only pissed at the new girl but also at himself for being attracted to her. As far as he knos, she hasn't even been here a day yet she is questioning him. He growls under his breath, striding up to Ric.

"Do you keep those naughty little vampire darts in the car?"

Ric nods, frowning. "What's happening?"

"Square's crawling with tomb vampires. We might be in need of some wooden weapons," Damon replies stiffly.

"Got it."

Damon looks around. Weapons, done. Gilbert, in his office. Elena? Still around here somewhere. He walks to the parking lot and spots Stefan.

"What's Elena doing?"

"Lockwood ordered the three to go home." Stefan inclines his chin towards Elena, who's waving towards departing Tyler, Matt, and Caroline.

As Elena walks over and wraps her arm around Stefan, and Damon moves closer to the two.

"Tomb vamps are here. Founding families are the target. Get her out of here, now!" he commands.

"Wait, what about you?" Stefan asks.

"John Gilbert needs me," Damon answers, wiggling his eyebrows with a smirk.

At least Elena would be safe. Isobel's words repeated through his mind all of last night, enough to make him drink a bottle of scotch easily. He isn't sure what he feels for Elena is love. _Then why didn't you deny it?_ Shut up, voice.

Damon shakes his head and moves toward the Gilbert office.

He arrives just as John is finishing.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Damon snarls.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do."

As Damon moves forward, John pushes the small circular metal into its place and watches Damon fall to the floor, clutching at his head.

"I get what I want, Damon," John whispers his words before injecting Damon with vervain.

Damon winces, feeling his ear drums throb and his body ache in a way it hasn't since his human days in the army. He could still imagine the sharp piercings on his head although the intruding noise had stopped.

He forces his eyes to open and turns over. He sees John pouring gasoline and halts his movements. He watches Anna and John talking before John stakes her in the chest, wanting to move but unable to. His ears throb, his eyes hurt and his legs burn from the flames licking at his body.

_When did he light everyone on fire? _

The other bodies in the room whither in pain; he notices some with stakes and others undead, now burning towards death.

"Damon? Is that you?" He slowly moves his head towards the voice.

"Mayor?" he asks in disbelief.

"What are you doing down here?" Mayor Lockwood barks.

"I'm a vampire. What's your excuse?"

He would've smiled at the Mayor's widened eyes but it would take more energy and he wasn't feeling up to it.

"I told you," sings a voice from the stairways. Damon clenches his eyes shut and imagines the voice to be just in his head, remorseful for not listening to its owner.

"Damon. Damon!" He feels a poke on his stomach and opens one eye, only to see Bella leaning over him with furrowed brows, her long brown curls grazing his chin and chest.

"What?" he growls.

"Geez…here I come to help you and you respond like this," Bella pauses, and then continues with a dramatic sigh, "Maybe I'll leave you like this."

He feels her head turn, her hair feeling like a caress.

"Mayor?" The Mayor probably gives an affirmative, for Bella continues. "Great, there are wolves here, too."

"Wolves?" Damon hears the Mayor's weak voice.

"You're from wolves descendant. You also have something of mine. If you're willing to give that to me, I can exchange it for your life."

Damon chuckles, before groaning. Here she is, saying she's going to save him and then offers the same to the Mayor, bargaining like she's talking about goddamn cookies and chips.

"Whatev—whatever you want. _Get me out of here," _the Mayor rasps.

Damon gives into his struggle and closes his eyes. He hears a sigh. He feels the air rush around him, and feels himself being uplifted.

"Useless men," he hears Bella mutter.

"Damon? Damon?" he vaguely hears Stefan and Elena shouting for him to wake up.

"Here, let me," Bella offers.

He feels a weight settle on his chest; he makes it out to be a small hand. It makes his skin burn, in almost a good way. He hears a resounding _SMACK_, and then feels the sharp sting in his cheek. He sits up suddenly, clutching his stinging cheek.

"What the _fuck?" _he roars, glaring at Bella, getting off of the floor, shoving Bella off of him.

"There!" she responds, smiling wide.

A body suddenly runs into him, wrapping its arms around his middle.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he hears Elena whisper. He rubs her back twice and then backs off, with Stefan immediately wrapping him in a one arm hug. Damon pats him on the back before going back to his usual snarky attitude.

"I knew you loved me," he announces.

"He's back," Elena laughs.

"Someone's coming," Stefan announces. They all listen to the footsteps making their way to the back alley.

"Bonnie!" A surprised Elena says.

"The Bennett witch," he hears Bella murmur.

"How do you know?" he raises his eyebrows at her.

"I have my ways," she repeats.

Bonnie stops in front of them, giving Elena a pleading look. "I'm sorry I lied to you," she whispers.

"I…I don't know what to say."

"You shouldn't have lied," Bella chimes in. "I'm happy you follow your beliefs, but don't do it on the account of lying to your friends. Emily wouldn't be proud."

She gives them all a mock salute and then drags the unconscious Mayor towards the Mystic Square.

"Who was that?" A stunned Bonnie asks.

"Bella," the three reply at the same time.

Damon walks towards Elena's house, lost in thought. Why would Bella save him? She doesn't even know him. Yes, he is thankful she helped but why would she do it? He was an ass to her.

_Maybe she's your personal sadist, brought to you to pay for all your sins, _a voice snickers in his head.

_Maybe she is_, he agrees with it. After all, it is because of her that he is now on his way to Jeremy.

He shakes his head and starts to run. _The quicker this is over, the better. I could use some scotch. _

He finds Jeremy sitting on his bed, staring into nothing.

"How are you holding up?" he begins.

"Wonderfully. Where's Anna?" Jeremy asks blankly.

"She's…dead," Damon responds slowly.

"I figured that when they took her."

"I, I saw her die. When John killed her, or was about to, I wanted to stop him."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Whether I felt I owed her for taking the risk to warn me about the vampires or simply because you didn't deserve to go through that again, I don't know."

"Why are telling me this, Damon?"

"I took away your suffering once. I can do it again," he offers.

"You can never really take it away. Yeah, I forget all about the situations and the people, but the emptiness is still there, just without a reason for it to be."

Damon approaches Jeremy. "I am…" he struggles for words, "I am sorry for my part."

He turns abruptly to leave when Jeremy calls out to him.

"Ana told me that when you're a vampire, you can turn off your emotions. You don't have to feel anything."

Damon contemplates his words carefully. "She's right. But it comes at the price of your humanity."

"Meaning?"

"When you turn off your feelings, your regard for human life is also lost. _Meaning_ you will kill and hurt others not only out of your hunger, but for your enjoyment for being superior to them."

Damon nods to Jeremy and leaves. Giving up humanity is an easy choice for a vampire who has centuries ahead of him, but for a human to want vampirism isn't light. Hopefully Jeremy doesn't have Anna's blood in him.

He opens the door to find Elena outside of it, carrying her dress.

"Damon," she says, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to Jeremy."

Elena's brows furrow. "Oh?"

Damon nods. "I wanted to apologize to him about Vicky. For the first time since I've been turned, I thought about how my actions have affected others."

"You aren't incapable of emotions, Damon."

"I used to be." Damon pauses before continuing, "I also want to thank you, Elena."

"For?"

"For caring about me."

Elena moves closer to Damon and hugs him. He bends down a little and kisses her cheek.

"Goodnight, Elena."

Just as he turns to leave, Elena grabs his hand and places her lips on his lightly. He moves automatically, the kiss being so familiar. Opening of the door disturbs them and they part immediately, Jeremy looking between the two with wide eyes.

"I think it's time to come in, Elena," he states.

Damon turns and walks quickly towards the Salvatore Boarding house. They have a new problem.

"You do realize who that was, right?" Bella's voice sounds next to him.

"I didn't hear you coming," he replies with suspicion.

"I have many talents," she smirks.

"Yes, I realize that was Katherine."

"And you realize you left Elena's brother alone with her. The girl you love won't like that."

"I don't love her," he replies weakly.

"Ohhh, so convincing," Bella taunts him.

"What do you want?"

"I want to help."

"Why?"

"It's why I exist."

Damon stops and turns to her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that there's a reason Elena and Katherine look alike. Before you ask, I can't tell you just yet. You have to help me and in turn I promise you I will lay my life down to save Elena from someone nearly incapable of being destroyed."

"_What?_ But how does—"

"I told you, I can't tell you. All you need to know is that I am the only one who can help keep Elena alive, and human."

Damon narrows his eyes at her. He doesn't trust people, least of all brats who keep popping up wherever he goes.

"I am _not_ a brat."

Damon gapes at her.

"I can read your mind. You need me. And I need a place to stay."

"No."

"I can always compel you."

"I am a vampire. You can't compel me."

She smirks. "That's what you think. I'll give you a demonstration later on."

He sighs and opens the door to the boarding house. "Let's see you get invited in," he smirks.

His wide grin falls off his face as Bella dances into the house, and then looks back at him and winks. "I have many talents, don't forget," she sings.

"Bella?" Stefan and Elena ask from the couch. She waves to them and plops down in the chair front of the fireplace.

"We've got a problem," Damon announces. "And it's not the one currently sitting on my favorite chair."

Bella sticks her tongue out at Damon.

"What happened?" Elena asks.

"Katherine happened. She's at your house right now."

"I need a room," Bella chimed in.

The other three in the room turned towards her. She rolls her eyes in turn. "Don't worry about Katherine."

"You know her?" Stefan prompted.

"Of course. I've been alive for nearly 1000 years," Bella grinned.

Elena gasped, "1000?"

"Yup. I don't mean to nag, but a room…?"

"You could always share my room," Damon smirks, certain he'd have the upper hand.

"Thanks! I'll take the bed, you can take the floor. Should I guess which room is yours, beast?" Bella retorts.

Damon glares at her.

"Fine, you can be beauty. I won't judge." She holds up her hands in mock surrender.

Elena laughs while Stefan grins. Finally, someone to put him to his place.

"Where's your stuff, Shortie?"

"Have none. Emily needed me by Elena _tonight_. Apparently it wasn't for her safety, but Stefan's and yours."

The three whip around to look at her. She rolls her eyes and sighs.

"Ask me whatever you want and I'll answer the best I can."

"What do you want with Elena?" Damon burst out.

"I want her alive."

"Why?"

"She dies, I die."

"_What?"_ Elena gasps.

Bella winks at her. "So my life's in your hands. Please don't chase danger or give up."

"Give up?" Elena questions.

"Yes. When time comes, you'll know the reason why you look like Katherine and why exactly she's back."

"Why can't you tell us now?" Stefan questions.

"The time isn't right."

"When will it be right?" Damon barks out, sipping scotch by the fireplace. He glares at Bella.

"When you can control your anger."

"Cryptic much?" he asks.

"Gotta stay alive some way, right?" She grins.

"How do you communicate with Emily?" Stefan enquires.

"Emily's ancestor kept me under her protection, and then Emily helped when she joined her ancestors. I can't die. If somehow I am killed, I come back."

"Why would the witch do that? Don't they hate vampires?" Damon prompts.

"No, that's just between you and Bonnie…and probably every other witch you've come across," Bella replies, with a cheeky grin.

Damon scowls at her.

"Anyway… Emily is the last powerful witch that was in contact with both me and the moonstone. She's leading me and providing me with power and spells and whatnot to protect the moonstone foremost, and Elena."

"How does she know Elena?"

"Just like she knew to bring me here tonight."

"How do you know us?" Stefan asks.

"Elena looks like Katherine and Anna filled me in on Damon and you."

Bella looks at the three, who look both stunned and lost in thought.

"Why don't you all sleep on it for tonight and ask me whatever you need tomorrow? Besides, I need to catch a few winks of sleep before I collect my payment from the Mayor." Bella wiggles her eyebrows at them. "So where is your room, beauty?" Bella turns to Damon.

"Third floor, second door to the right. Don't touch anything," he barks out.

"Ohhh, now I just have to!" she blurs upstairs.

Stefan and Elena watch in amusement as Damon curses under his breath before following Bella.

"Well, that was interesting," Stefan breaks the silence.

"I like her."

Stefan raises an eyebrow.

"I feel comfortable with her. You know how sometimes your skin prickles when someone's watching you? But when you're with the people you know, you feel this odd sense of protection and warmth? I felt the latter with her."

"If you trust her, so will I," Stefan states, kissing Elena's forehead. "You go on upstairs and I'll go get Jeremy. He can spend the night here."

Elena nods. She kisses Stefan and then slowly trails to the third floor. As she opens Stefan's bedroom door, she hears voices coming from Damon's room. She raises her eyebrows. Maybe Bella will bring a breath of change.

Damon wakes up with his arm stretched towards the other side of bed, which is empty. He looks around, with hope of finding Bella there. He shakes his head. It's good she's gone. She was going to be a nuisance anyway. He rubs his chest at the odd feeling and gets up. From what he heard last night, Jeremy is here as well. Breakfast time.

He gets ready before heading downstairs. _Should head to the Mayor's today. Carol will want answers._

He finishes cooking eggs and bacon when Jeremy comes downstairs, rubbing his eyes.

"Where's Elena?" Damon questions.

"I don't know. I didn't want to go into Stefan's room just in case."

Damon's eyes narrow, just as he hears a car pull up. He peeks around the wall separating the kitchen from the main entrance and gawks at the sight of Elena and Bella giggling like best friends.

"Where have you been?" he barks out.

Bella lifts up numerous bags while Elena lifts up one. "Shopping," they both reply together.

"Breakfast is ready," he grumbles out.

Elena heads towards Damon while Bella blurs upstairs.

"I like her," Elena dramatically whispers to Damon as she passes him.

Damon involuntarily smiles, thinking of green eyes. He shakes himself out of his reverie and steps back into the kitchen. He blinks, frozen, looking at Bella.

He points to her and then to the living room. "You were there, and then upstairs, how are you here?"

"Another one of my talents." She grins. Turning to Jeremy, she introduces herself. "I'm Bella, your sister's guardian."

Jeremy's eyebrows nearly shoot up to his hairline. "Jeremy, the cousin."

"He's my brother," Elena corrects.

Jeremy scoffs under his breath. Damon sees Bella reach her hand to Elena's and squeeze gently, as if saying, 'He'll come around'.

_How much does she know? _Damon keeps an eye on Bella throughout the breakfast.

* * *

><p><strong>Worth continuing? <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>"Quit pouting." Damon smirks at the passenger sitting beside him.<p>

"I can't believe you roped me into this," Bella manages to get out, keeping the pout prominent on her face.

"You roped me into a date!" he exclaims, taking a second to admire her leather attire. _A girl after my own heart._

"It isn't a date! You're just going to escort and introduce me. Plus…don't forget that the Mayor now knows you're a vampire."

Bella giggles at the comical widening of Damon's eyes. He slams on the breaks and turns to her.

"_What?"_

"You heard me," she grins, "Remember? Yesterday's fire, blah blah blah, when I arrived at the basement, you were telling the Mayor you're a vampire. My god, isn't vampire memory supposed to be photogenic-good?" she mocks.

"Don't you know?" he turns to her, slowly starting the car back up.

"…No."

He looks at her disbelievingly but she turns to look out the window.

"Liz left a message for me to get to the hospital. Besides, Stefan's likely going to bring Elena there after she gets ready. Bonnie's going to be there if you want to lay some more guilt on her." Damon winks.

Bella snorts. "It was hardly guilt tripping. The words were in Emily's mind, I just spoke them."

"I still don't get how that works."

She pats him on the head and coos, "Don't hurt yourself by thinking, Damon."

He shoves her arm away, smiling. She is a refreshing change to the gloomy, boring town, but he isn't going to let her know that. People just usually tolerated him or steered clear of him, with the exception of his brother's little friends and the council members. Bella, on the other hand, doesn't take any of his shit and in turn, lays down her own cards with a new challenge every time. _I could definitely get used to this…if she stops pointing out my mistakes. _

"Liz! I came as soon as I could. How is she?" Damon asks the pacing Sheriff with a concerned look.

"She's in surgery. The doctors are doing everything they can, but Damon, she's…she's the only thing I have left. She's my everything." Sheriff Forbes sniffles, giving a watery smile to Bella.

Bella returns the gesture with a small, genuine smile.

"Damon, I need your help," the Sheriff says, who startles out of his staring at Bella.

"Anything, Liz," he replies.

Bella touches Damon on his arm but says to both, "Elena's here. I'm going to go see how she's handling this." She smiles and walks towards Bonnie and Elena, leaving Damon staring after her, and Liz with questions in her mind.

"She knows everything, Liz. I'll tell you about it all later."

The Sheriff nods. "The Mayor was hurt. He's burned in lots of places and he has ruptured eardrums. My deputies put him in the basement, they thought he was a vampire," she says, shaking.

Damon raises his eyebrows. "Mayor Lockwood is a vampire?"

"No, no! A mistake was made…they said he dropped like the others when John's device went off. But…but he couldn't be. He's been in the sun, he drinks vervain everyday…and now the Lockwood's are gonna want answers and my mind is on Caroline." She whimpers and breaks down into sobs. Damon wraps his arms around her trembling frame and pats her gently.

"It's okay, shh, it's going to be okay. I'll help you with them."

* * *

><p>"Bella," Elena cries before breaking down into the young girl's arms. Bella sits Elena down on the bench outside of Caroline's room.<p>

"Shh, she's going to be okay," she mutters, patting Elena's hair gently. She notices Bonnie leaning on the opposite wall and raises a questioning eyebrow at her.

"She's weak. They don't know if she's going to make it," Bonnie replies.

"She's strong, Elena. She'll fight for her life, watch," Bella whispers comfortingly.

"How is she so comfortable with you?" Bonnie asks in a high octave.

"She trusts me."

"Can't you do a spell?" Elena asks weakly.

"She doesn't know how," Damon says, sitting down besides Bella.

"No, I don't," Bonnie snarls.

"You know, vampire blood has healing abilities," Damon says nonchalantly.

"No!" Elena objects.

"Do it," Bonnie argues.

"If she dies with the blood in her system, she could become a vampire," Bella states.

"But she won't die, because his blood has healing powers," Bonnie repeats.

Bella shrugs.

"If I do this, you and me, call truce?" Damon smirks.

"No. But you'll do it anyway. For Elena," Bonnie snarks.

Bella snorts soundlessly, wondering how long that excuse will last.

Bonnie squeezes Elena's hand in farewell before strutting away.

"Are you going to do it?" Bella questions Damon.

Damon nods slowly.

"Why?"

"Trying to do right, I guess," he mutters.

"You're willing to take that risk with Katherine running around," Bella states.

"What do _you_ know about Katherine?" he scowls.

"Lot more than you do, Raven."

"Raven?"

"Your hair," she leaves it that, watching Damon stomp into Caroline's room. She lightly hums to the slowly composing Elena.

"Where's Stefan, Elena?"

"Watching over Jeremy in case of Katherine," Elena responds in a whisper.

* * *

><p>"I thought you wanted to go to Lockwood's today," Damon comments.<p>

"Elena needs to get home."

"You'd put your tasks behind for her?"

"She not only holds my life in her hands, but I also like her, so yes," Bella replies warily.

Damon carries Elena in, as Bella holds open the front door.

"What's wrong?" Stefan panics.

"She's just overwhelmed. Let her sleep," Bella replies.

Stefan nods and takes Elena from Damon's arms and then upstairs to his room.

Bella pulls Damon to his bar, setting three glasses of neat scotch.

"Saint Stefan doesn't drink."

"He will," Bella responds.

They look as Stefan blurs next to them. "Katherine was here."

"When?"

"A few minutes after you two left."

"Hm…I wonder why," Bella hums.

"She's Katherine. She loves to play games and she's playing us right now," Damon responds.

"We have to find out why she's back," Stefan replies tensely.

"You're fooling yourself if you think you're going to find out what she's up to before she wants you to, Stefan," Damon barks out.

Bella concentrates for a minute. "Did she mention me?"

"Oddly enough, no. She thought it was just Jeremy and Elena over last night, with Damon and me," Stefan answers.

Damon raises his eyebrows at Bella, who silently hands Stefan the glass of neat scotch.

"Witch's casting spell. It's difficult for others to know where I am."

"Meaning?" Stefan questions, downing the auburn colored liquid.

"_Meaning_ that no supernatural being can locate me."

"And I suppose Emily is providing you with the power," Damon responds sarcastically.

"She is, in fact." Bella sticks her tongue out at Damon. "Anyway, so what happened with Katherine?"

"She pretended to be Elena."

"Figured that," Bella mutters.

Stefan furrows his eyebrows in question, pouring himself another drink.

Bella looks pointedly at Damon.

"She pretended to be Elena when I went to talk to Jeremy last night," Damon continues.

"What happened?"

"She, uh, she kissed me."

Stefan's head snaps up to meet Damon's eyes. "_What_?" He snarls and blurs to Damon, pinning him against the wall by the fireplace, breaking Damon's glass in the process.

"Hey! Stop that!" Bella commands.

"He kissed her!"

"No, she kissed him! And it was Katherine, not Elena," Bella corrects. She pries off Stefan's arms from Damon gently.

Damon glares at him. "I could've ripped your arms off in a second."

"Shut up! She's already messing with both of your heads. Neither of you are stable when it comes to her in the first place, so let's not try to make things worse!" Bella hisses.

"She's right, Damon. Katherine is gonna try to play us against each other. You know that, too. I know you do."

"Don't worry, brother, our bond is unbreakable," Damon says sarcastically.

"We need to stay united against her. So as much as I would like to kill you, I'm not going to fight you."

"I kissed Katherine thinking she was Elena," Damon taunts.

"Because you love her."

"He doesn't," Bella butts in, perched up on the table, swinging her legs.

It bothers Damon that he thinks she looks _cute_.

_…Wait, what did she say?_

"I said you don't love Elena," Bella repeats.

"Stop that!" he yelps.

"I don't do it purposely," she defends.

"Hold on. What?" Stefan looks helplessly lost between the two.

"She's reading my mind." Damon glares at Bella.

She bats her eyelashes innocently and gives an angelic smile.

Stefan looks amazed. "You can do that?"

"You acquire many talents with passing age," she states.

"How do you know what I feel and what I don't?" Damon growls.

"You got interested in her after Katherine wasn't in the tomb. You were attracted to her because she looks like Katherine. She's a comfortable zone for you, Damon. 'Don't let people get close to you; they can't pull the trigger if you don't hand them the gun.' You keep yourself locked away; you're an ass to keep people at arm's length and she's the first person you've let in other than your brother."

Damon snorts.

"Don't give me that. You love Stefan and care for him, or you wouldn't be a vampire _today_."

"You don't know shit," Damon growls at her.

"No, you're just in denial. You don't show your feelings and that's okay. But sometimes, you just have to say what you feel before it's too late."

She finishes off her scotch, jumps down from the table and hugs both the surprised brothers before skipping upstairs.

"I've got to check on Elena. Then you're taking me to the Lockwood mansion, Damon," she calls down.

Stefan turns to his brother with raised eyebrows.

Damon clears his face of emotions and smirks, dramatically whispering, "We've let a lunatic into our house."

_"I heard that, you ass," _Bella's whisper rings in his ears.

Both brothers look at each other with wide eyes.

Damon shifts uneasily as he waits for Bella in front of the fireplace. He isn't used to trusting anyone, much less someone whose level of power is unknown to him. Stefan's the brooding one, he trusts everyone until they give him a reason otherwise. Now that Elena's already trusting Bella, so is Stefan. What makes Damon uncomfortable is the level of ease he feels with her presence. He's always been the third wheel, he realizes, but with Bella around, he has someone who understands him. Of course, she can read his mind, but he wants to believe she wouldn't do it against his will. Only time will prove now. She's already taken up shelter in their home and Damon isn't about to kick her out to the curb, especially since now she's grown on him…a little. He rubs his face and decides to take The-Stefan-Route this time and trust her until she proves otherwise.

"Ready to go, Beauty?" Bella asks, standing next to him in a baby blue strapless, flowing sun dress.

He raises his eyebrows while trailing his eyes up and down her form. He's always seen her in leather or skin tight clothing that screams, 'Don't mess with me.'

She rolls her eyes. "I have to look presentable and innocent. After all, it's the mayor!" she mock gasps.

He chuckles and allows her to lead him out the door.

* * *

><p>"Carol, I'd like you to meet Isabella," Damon grins. The object of his smile stands beside him with her hand on the crook of his arm. They'd just spent the car ride exchanging insults over each others favorite music, respectively. He had laughed loudly when she called Lady GaGa's imitated meat dress a 'Carni-whore' when the host said the 'dresses' were going on sale worldwide.<p>

"Hello, Isabella," Carol starts, with a frown on her face.

"Hello, Mrs. Lockwood. How is your husband now?" Bella asks with a charming smile.

"He's dead. Excuse me," Carol leaves, leaving both Bella and Damon shocked.

Damon spots the Sheriff. "Liz! Liz, what's going on?"

"Someone drained the Mayor. Sometime between this morning and now," Liz says, her eyes trained on Bella.

Bella frowns as Damon asks the Sheriff more questions. Suddenly, he feels small burns on his neck, where one or two wet drops land. He hears Bella gasp beside him and turns to see her completely drenched in liquid that makes his nose and lungs burn. _Vervain. _

He sees the council members gathering around them, all looking baffled. He realizes they kept him in the dark with this plan. _Do they no longer trust me? _he wonders_._

"What the _fuck?"_ he growls, struggling to keep his composure, and his coughing subtle.

"W—we were so sure it was her who did it! She's the only one new to town," Liz defends.

"Are you okay, Isabella?" he looks Bella over, from head to toe. There isn't even a burn on her; it's as if the vervain had no effect on her whatsoever. Her dress is a different story, though. The light cloth is drenched from top to her hips, clinging to her skin. He brushes aside his attraction with his anger at the Sheriff.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'd like to go home, Damon," Bella whispers, playing the part of an offended newcomer brilliantly.

"Of course, sweetheart," he wraps his arm around her middle carefully, thankful for his long sleeved button down shirt, unsure if she was hurt or not. Every sign points her to being a vampire, yet here she stands with vervain having no effect on her. _She is right in stating she's complicated._

Damon shakes his head with a frown at Carol and Liz, who are now looking mortified. He starts leading Bella towards his car, but pauses and turns back to the abash duo.

"Do you know who saved your husband last night, Carol?" Damon questions, tense.

"No," Carol whispers.

"It was Isabella."

He hears a gasp and someone calls out his name, but he doesn't listen. His first priority is to get Bella home.

* * *

><p>Damon helps Bella out of the car, keeping her hand in his.<p>

"Stefan," he says in a normal voice once he situates Bella on the couch.

"I'm totally fine, you know. You don't have to worry about me." She smirks. "I didn't know you cared."

"I just want to know what you are for Elena's safety," he lies through his teeth. From the rolling of her eyes, she doesn't believe him.

"Yeah?" Stefan says, walking down the stairs.

"How's Elena?" Bella chimes in.

"Still sleeping. You two are back early."

"In short, Mayor's drained, Liz and Carol threw vervain water all over Bella, and kept me out of the loop," Damon narrows his eyes, pouring himself a drink.

"Are you okay?" Stefan sits beside Bella.

"Oh, I'm fine."

"You mentioned you could compel, even vampires. You can walk into a house uninvited. Vervain has no effect on you. You have vampire speed and strength. All this just doesn't add up," Damon states.

"I am a vampire and I'm not."

Stefan raises his eyebrows.

"Answers a lot," Damon mutters sarcastically.

"You'll get the answers when time's right," she repeats.

Damon rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. So what now?"

Bella shrugs. "Go to Mayor's wake, give his wife and the Sheriff the stiff smiles, and watch you make them uneasy," she replies with a cheeky grin.

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, the obvious answer is because you care about me. But since it isn't true, it's because the vervain water also hit you. I could see light smoke rising from your neck."

Damon feels his chest tighten with an unknown emotion. He shakes the feeling away.

"They also went behind your back, which you hate," Bella finishes.

"Right, right and right," he mutters in turn.

"Wait," Stefan speaks up. "If you're not exactly a vampire, why do you have a Lapis Lazuli stone in your anklet?"

"Observative. It's just there to look pretty and in case the sun does affect me. The first witches never got to telling me why I would need it and another witch couldn't have made an effective one, so I keep it with me. Other things I'll tell you guys later. Loooooooong story."

"Why doesn't vervain affect you?"

"It affects vampires."

"What _are_ you?" Damon asks, rubbing his neck.

"Not the time, Damon."

"Guys?" Elena's sleepy voice travels to all three ears easily. "What's going on?"

"Mayor's dead. I'm pissed at the council. Bella's got vervain dripping from her _onto my favorite chair_." Damon gives a humorless chuckle.

"Mine now!" Bella grins.

"I go to sleep for two hours and this happens?"

"Keeping up with the vampires," Damon winks at Elena.

She rolls her eyes and plops down beside Stefan, laying her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes.

Bella yawns and stretches. "All this drama is exciting to watch but I need to sleep. The shopping trip from this morning is still fresh on my mind." Bella shudders.

Elena lets out a sleepy chuckle. "You're the first girl I've met who hates shopping."

"You hate shopping?" Damon raises one eyebrow at Bella.

"I just don't like the way the employees gawk," Bella defends.

"That's the best part!" Damon exclaims. "Bring them into the dressing room to either take them or their blood."

"I don't do humans," Bella responds flippantly, causing Damon to choke on his drink, Elena to look at her suddenly with wide eyes and Stefan to start laughing.

"And blood?"

Bella crinkles her nose and stands up. "I don't drink humans, either. _Anyway_, I'm going to go sleep. You coming, Beauty?"

Damon grunts and pushes Bella lightly towards the stairs.

"They're still sleeping together?" Elena raises her eyebrows at Stefan.

"Yeah," he chuckles. "And arguing about everything. I could swear I once heard them in the middle of the night arguing over the comforter."

"She's good for him."

Stefan nods in agreement, bringing Elena closer to him.

* * *

><p>"So how are you going to get your possession from the Lockwoods' now?" Damon questions Bella, keeping his hand on the small of her back.<p>

"I'll find a way," she says lightly, looking at the property surrounding the big pond…if it could even be called that.

Damon had introduced her to Tyler Lockwood upon arriving at the Mayor's wake. She was surprised to find him pleasant and sweet to her. As Bella had predicted the night earlier, Damon was tense while speaking with both Carol Lockwood and the Sheriff, while Bella responded coolly. She doesn't have anything against them, but she doesn't know them either. Who's to say they won't suspect her again? She's going to have to keep her eye on them.

"What is it, anyway?" Damon questions lightly.

Bella realizes she hasn't given much information and holding back too much might make the brothers lose their trust in her. If she wants them to trust her, she will have to take the step to let them in, too.

"It's a moonstone."

"A moonstone?" he disbelievingly asks.

"Yes, a moonstone."

"What's special about it? Does it change colors to your mood?" he teases her.

She laughs. "You'll have to find out what's special about it on your own, Beauty," she winks at him and takes off running towards the house, her small tight black dress not providing any help in her movements, not that she needs any help. Vampire speed helps with the grace she needs.

Damon shakes out of his reverie and chases after her, chuckling. He's never felt so free…

* * *

><p>"Hi, Isabella!" Carol greets cheerfully, sliding up by Bella with the Sheriff.<p>

"Mrs. Lockwood," Bella responds, before grabbing a champagne flute to occupy her empty hands.

"Where's Damon?" Liz asks her.

Bella opens her mouth to respond when she feels his hand on her back again.

"Right here," he says, eyes tight and a smirk on his lips.

Bella nearly snorts at the awkward tension.

"Listen, Bella, we just want to apologize for what happened yesterday. We didn't know what to do and were desperate for answers—" Bella stops Carol from ranting.

"It's fine; perfectly understandable," she says with a smile. Carol and Liz both breathe out a sigh of relief. They both look at Damon, hoping for gaining his forgiveness as well.

Liz fidgets. "We're sorry, Damon, but we thought she might have you under compulsion."

Damon raises both his eyebrows. "You know I consume vervain daily."

"It was just the des—"

"Damon, they're sorry for it. You can overlook it once," Bella says sweetly.

"If I get left out of the council information again, I'm out permanently. Just this once," Damon grumbles. "I don't like being kept in the dark. I'll have to reconsider my 'friends' it they go behind my back again."

Carol and Liz nod, both taking Damon's words seriously. Better to never make him mad.

"Mom! Uncle Mason's here," Tyler's voice rang out from behind Damon and Bella.

"Be right there," Carol smiles, "Excuse me."

Bella sips her champagne, immediately noticing the taste of vervain. _Desperate times call for desperate measures. _

She puts one hand on Damon's shoulder and leans into him, his arm going around her waist. Her heels provide enough leverage for her lips to easily reach his ear and she whispers while keeping her eyes trained on Liz, "There's vervain in the drinks."

"Thanks," he responds, his voice somewhat wavering.

Liz watches the two carefully, and decides to wait to question Damon later. He fills her in on how Bella's father was a vampire hunter and he trained her for years to protect herself. Liz nods throughout the explanation. While having doubts, she couldn't find anything suspicious of Bella.

"There's an Uncle Mason, too?" Damon questions Liz with a downturn of his lips.

"Yes, he's a sweet boy. He left with his trust fund when he was eligible to dip into it to find the perfect wave. Didn't care about the family legacy much."

"I didn't think he would be coming…" Bella whispers to herself, trailing off as a young man in broad shorts and a wife beater sets his eyes on her.

"Bella?" he questions with wide eyes.

"Hello, Mason," she responds quietly.

He strides up to her and wraps his arms around her, leaning his chin on top of her head. Damon feels his arms twitch; he feels the sudden urge to rip off Mason's arms from Bella and keep her by his side. He frowns at his thoughts and clears his throat with a tight smile.

"Oh! This is Damon Salvatore. Damon, this is Mason Lockwood," Bella introduces with a grin.

"How do you two know each other?" Damon inquires.

"We have a long history," Mason chuckles, keeping his eyes trained on Bella.

Damon doesn't stay longer. If Bella notices him leaving, she doesn't call out to him. He walks outside, breathing in deeply and wondering why Bella's interaction with Mason bothers him. He chalks it up to not fully knowing and trusting her and worrying for Elena.

"Very brave of you to come here, when Elena could step in any minute," Damon says to the figure catching up to him.

"That's the fun of it all," she responds. She pulls him to the side of the garden, away from any prying eyes.

"What do you want, Katherine?"

"I came to see you." She giggles, leaning into him and pressing him against the house wall.

"You had more than a hundred years to come find me, yet you choose now the right moment?" He raises an eyebrow.

"You're not happy to see me?" She pouts.

"Don't pout; it doesn't look good on a woman your age."

"Ouch. What happened to you, Damon? You used to be so sweet, so innocent..."

She leans up to kiss him but he turns his head away. She sees him falter in his movements and in one motion, grabs the back of his neck and pushes her lips against him. He feels the need and desperation in her kiss and deludes himself to think she loved him. His hands reach to his shoulders, and he pushes on them.

"Wait, wait. I have a question. Answer it and it's back to fireworks. I just need to know and if it's the answer I'm looking for, I'll forget the entire time I spent pinning for you and we could start over."

Katherine sighs.

"I just need the truth," he pleads.

"I...I know the question and the answer. I have since the time I was carried to the church. Do you remember the night, Damon? When I left your bed chambers? I went to Stefan's after that." She grabs his hand and lays a kiss on it as he leans, mouth slightly open on the wall. "You know the answer now."

She trails one finger across his bottom lip and leaves to the side of the house.

* * *

><p>"Thanks for the ride, Mason. I'll see you around," Bella says, hugging Mason the best she can from her position in the passenger side of his truck.<p>

"No problem," he waves to her.

Bella walks into the house, one side of her mouth turned down.

"Damon, you ass! How could you just leave me there?" She yells.

She gets no response in return. She blurs into his room and sees him sitting on the bed, staring into nothing. She frowns and looks into his eyes, only to see blank baby blue orbs staring back into hers. Something was wrong...

"What did you do?" She asks.

"I killed Jeremy."

Her eyebrows shoot up as she registers his words. "What do you mean you killed Jeremy?"

"I snapped his neck."

"Why?"

"Elena chose Stefan over me, too."

Bella's eyes widen in realization. "Stay here," she orders.

Bella runs through the forest, and blurs to the Gilbert house. The front door is wide open, most likely because of Stefan's hurry. She blurs up to Jeremy's room and lets out a breath as she sees Elena kneeling by Jeremy, holding his head to her chest, sobbing.

"He'll be alright," Stefan states.

"What?" Elena questions, sniffling.

"He's wearing the Gilbert ring." Stefan holds up Jeremy's hand that sports an ancient, blue and silver ring with a small carving of a dagger.

Bella sits beside Elena and rubs a soothing hand down her back.

"What happened?" Bella questions softly.

"Katherine happened," Stefan answers.

"Damon snapped. I guess Katherine chose Stefan and when he heard me repeat the words, he snapped," Elena adds. "I'll never forgive him for this," she sobs.

Jeremy's eyes fly open, his heart pounding loudly in his rib cage once again. He gasps, panicking. He looks up at Elena and wraps his arms around her, holding her tightly.

Bella exchanges a look with Stefan and heads back to the Salvatore Boarding House.

She notices Damon sitting on the bed exactly as he was before.

"Come on, Beauty, we're going for a little road trip."

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, that's more than 5000 words, I believe. I want to thank all the readers and reviewers. Thank you for taking the time. :) Thank you for the alerts and favorites as well. I am overwhelmed by the response! :) <strong>

**Explanations: Bella is different from Twilight's Bella, I know. But keep in mind Twilight's Bella is a teenager who is experiencing her first love and doesn't even know herself yet. My Bella is 1000+ years old; she's experienced, she's jaded, and she's flawed. She knows who she is and she has her priorities set straight. Her story will be revealed as chapters progress.**

**As far as the romance is concerned, this is a Damon and Bella story. I've never really understood how in Twilight and Vampire Diaries, the characters just fall in love with each other. There isn't much interaction before the "I love you"s are exchanged. I don't like that. My Bella has seen a lot in her time and Damon's spent 145 years pinning for a woman who-now he has to come to terms with-could've found him but didn't, and loved his brother and not him. It's a lot to handle. I want Bella and Damon to interact, become friends, and slowly push the boundaries into a romantic relationship. I want them to face struggles and face reality as it is. **

**Each reviewer gets a lengthy preview. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Vampire Diaries. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Bella flies past the borders in her small, white Lexus. Damon has been quiet the entire time, as she had crossed the Virginia, Washington, Pennsylvania, and Ohio borders in the last four hours. She gives him time to gather his thoughts and come to a few conclusions on his own. It is hard to decipher him; Bella couldn't imagine what he must be thinking of. He is like an onion, she concludes; a layer after layer.<p>

Damon finally looks at Bella. "Where are we going?"

"Forks."

"What's in Forks?"

"Family."

Damon raises an eyebrow. She wants to introduce him to her family? He lets the topic rest for now. "Isn't Forks really small and forest-y?" He continues.

"For an old vampire, your vocabulary is atrocious."

"Have to adjust with the times. I mean, it _totally _would be normal to speak in eloquent Queen's English while the language itself today is mangled." He rolls his eyes.

"Forks _is_ tiny and very, very green. And extremely quiet." Bella gives a wicked smile.

"Planning on taking me to a secluded place to quietly kill me?"

"Quietly?" Bella snorts. "I'm pretty sure you'd be making sarcastic commentary up until your very last breath."

A tiny smile appears on his lips, one side of his mouth higher than the other.

Damon leans back in the passenger seat and wonders if following Bella's advice is bad. She didn't want to let anyone know their whereabouts. She had said it would be better and truthfully, he agreed readily. For once, he doesn't want to worry about others. It's not like anyone worries about him or even cares enough to know how he feels. The blame is always put on him, even if he doesn't have anything to do with the situation. _Fuck them, _he had thought when he silenced his phone.

"So…are you ready to talk, then?" Bella asks.

"What makes you think I'd talk to you about anything?" Damon retorts.

"Because not only would I be a good therapist, but within the last two days, we've formed…sort of a friendship." She winks.

Damon doesn't deny it. He shouldn't trust her, but does. There's the air of comfort about her, the aura of ease. He knows she's powerful and if she wants to hurt them, she had numerous opportunities, yet they are all alive. Nothing wrong in the town, either. He doesn't have a reason not to trust her. Plus, she wouldn't do anything to jeopardize her own life as it's connected to Elena. He shrugs.

"I'm not going to judge you, Damon. I'm just trying to be a friend," she says softly.

"A friend," he snorts, "all my 'friends' either use me or sell me out."

"Well, I'm not like that. And you know it," she says, giving him a toothy smile.

Damon stares at her. The windblown hair with her Ray Bans keeping out the early morning glare of the sun from her eyes…she looks positively adorable, wearing an ankle-length white tube dress and a leather jacket, tiny in her seat. He feels uncomfortable at the direction his thoughts take. He instead concentrates on the soft guitar melody that rings through the car speakers.

"I kissed Elena."

"Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'?"

She rolls her eyes. "Why did you kiss her?"

"I…I wanted to prove you wrong," he admits. At her bewildered look, he continues, "You said I didn't love her and I was so—"

"So adamant to prove _me_ wrong that you ended up kissing your brother's girlfriend. Imagine that." She scoffs. "You kiss the girl you claim to love not because of your feelings for her, but to prove yourself right."

He cringes. "Why are you so difficult?"

"Why're you an ass?"

"To keep people out, like you said," he mocks.

"Hey, I just thought of something!"

"You actually think?" Damon makes a face.

Bella smacks him on the chest with her right hand.

"What happened with Katherine? That was minutes before you went to Elena's, right? Speaking of, she mentioned something about choosing Stefan…" Bella trails off when Damon's expression turns sour.

She reaches a hand over to touch his arm. "You okay?"

"I don't know," he answers truthfully.

"Tell me."

"I asked Katherine a question. It's just…I've pinned for her for the last hundred and forty five years," he starts.

"Because you love her?" Bella interrupts.

"I did, at one point. But when the tomb opened and she wasn't there, it just confirmed the thought roaming in the back of my mind that I was just a play toy for her. Her pet."

Damon notices how Bella's hands tighten over the steering wheel briefly before continuing.

"Stefan lived his life without the thoughts of her after compulsion wore off, but every day I had only thought about her and ways to get her out of the tomb. And I wanted to know whether she loved me at all or not. She answered that it was Stefan, only him. She knew she was going to be taken to the church. She knew what was going to happen. I thought I was the last one to see her, but turned out, she had wanted Stefan to be her last. Well, at least between the two of us."

Bella sighs. She's aware Katherine is selfish and greedy and has even admired her for the former once a time. But seeing the hurt on Damon's face, to witness how deep his wounds reside bring her own deeply embedded wounds to surface.

"You know, there are people like Katherine and people like Elena in the world. Some think of others while others think of just themselves. Just because you've encountered a Katherine, you shouldn't give up on an Elena when time comes. Life is all about taking risks. You can't achieve anything unless you risk getting hurt or failing. Life's too short to concentrate on one thing or failed relationships; if you do that, you'll miss your window.

"The person who changed me was the brother of the man I thought I loved, Nik. Nik used me as a blood bag until he didn't need me anymore. He was going to kill me, but his brother's blood in my system secured my transformation. I wasn't able to differentiate the lines between 'love' and 'in love' then. I found out not only did the vampire use me but so did the first original witch. I have no effect on the situations as I live them. They go on as they would were I not here. I can alter them slightly but the ending results are the same; it's rare that I can change an outcome. It's as if I'm not here. The only time I play my part is when it's time to save the doppelganger."

Damon sits, jaw slack at the information Bella lays out in front of him. He's never heard her talk that much in one go before. Hell, he's never heard her talk about her past or give any information, yet here she sits talking about her destiny.

He realizes with a sharp jab how Bella's life had been. The one person she thought she could have trusted had turned out to be the one who was most dangerous to her, the reason she is damned to this life. And then the witch…she had used Bella's life and existence to fulfill her own wishes, whatever they were. To be completely strip of freedom and the _right _to life as she wants. His 145 years of pinning seem nothing next to her despair for the last ten or so centuries, yet here she is, living life with a smile upon her face.

Her knuckles are white as they grip the steering wheel tightly and her lips are in a thin line. He can feel her discomfort rise as he sits without saying anything.

Damon grabs one of her hands from the steering wheel, lacing his fingers with hers, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.

"What a pair we are," is all he's able to get out through a humorless chuckle.

* * *

><p>After Bella drives past the 'Welcome to Forks' sign, Damon sighs with relief. He loves the sense of adventure; not knowing what is waiting at the end of the car ride, but at the same time, sitting in the same place for more than a day is boring. They had stopped briefly in Portland, Oregon where Damon had purchased a bracelet for Elena as an 'I'm sorry for killing your brother' and Bella had grabbed him a drink from the local hospital. He decides to swear till his death that Bella made him buy it, even if a small part of him wants to turn back the time to stop his actions. He isn't one to regret his actions. He's impulsive, manipulative and an ass but what he had with Elena was different. She's fun to annoy because her annoyance annoys his brother, so two kills with one stone. But she was also a kind friend to him who was thankful he got saved from John's psycho plan at one point. He wants that back; to have her as his friend again. Someone to trust. He sighs.<p>

"I'm hungry," Bella announces suddenly, pulling into a small lodge like place titled, 'The Diner'.

"You want to eat here?" Damon asks, his lips pulling into a frown.

"I like the looks of the place," she defends.

"Why?" The distain is clear in his voice. Bella smacks his arm lightly. "Ouch." He rolls his eyes. "You need to eat?"

She grins at him. "Yes, something I am very thankful for. Didn't you notice in Portland that only you drank blood?"

"You don't drink blood?" His eyebrows shoot up almost to his hairline.

"Oh, I do. But human-blood bags…" she trails off, scrunching up her nose.

Damon raises his eyebrows at her in question.

"I'll tell you some other time."

Bella drags Damon into the small building.

Stepping inside, the warm air and the prominent smell of meat, blood, and wet mud hits Damon. Looking around, he notices a few occupants; an old couple, a few policemen and high school kids. There's something homey about the place that makes him relax instantly. He rolls his eyes as Bella looks at him with a smug smile.

They find the corner booth available and sit opposite each other.

As Damon opens his mouth to say something, a tall and mousy brunette greets them with a pen and pad.

"Hi, welcome to the diner. My name's Angela Weber, would you like to hear the specials?"

"Hi, Angela. I'll have the double cheeseburger with bacon and pickles on the side; fries as the side, with a large coke. He'll have the same and when is your break? I wanted to talk to you about your witchy powers," Bella says nonchalantly.

Damon and Angela stare at her mouth agape.

"Wha-How-?"

"What the fuck?"

They both blurt out at the same time.

"We'll talk when you're on your break." Bella inclines her chin towards the counter where a native was staring in their direction.

Angela nods and goes to get the ordered food, her shoulders tense.

"So that's your motive for coming here?" Damon questions

"If you're talking about this diner, then yes. As for Forks, I'm actually here to visit Charlie."

"Who's Charlie?"

"He's in all respect but blood my father."

Damon is surprised to hear the tenderness in Bella's voice. It is weird to see her so serious after only witnessing her playful moments.

"How long have you known him?" He questions.

"Somewhere around three centuries or so. It's weird to keep track of the years and I hate that I'm older than everyone," Bella mock pouts.

Damon rolls his eyes. "Granny."

Bella dramatically gasps, "Oh, the horror. Do I have any wrinkles, white hair, or even worse…saggy breasts?"

Damon's eyes flicker down to her chest in response. Before he's able to have any response to or for her, she pulls together her jacket and looks at him teasingly. He shrugs in response as if it is the most natural move for him.

"I think you're fine," he drawls. "Just don't forget your dentures."

Bella snorts in response. Before she is able to retort, Angela comes back with the food, fidgeting.

Bella offers her a reassuring glance but it hardly helps the poor waitress's nerves.

The lunch is spent in Damon teasing Bella and via verse. Bella smiles fondly at the banter. Usually, people took offense to her words or just stopped talking, but with Damon, she didn't have to worry about that. He could take as much as he could dish out.

"I'm off in five minutes. Can you come to the back door? It's right through the woods," Angela whispers quietly as she clears the table, resigned, as if she was thinking of ways to get out of the talk but finally decided it probably wouldn't work.

Bella nods at her. After arguing with Damon over the payment of the lunch, Bella stomps out towards the back of the diner.

"Hey, I won fair and square," Damon says, staying just a step behind her.

"You literally pushed me back and then handed your cash to the cashier. I don't see how that is fair," she pouts.

"It's not my fault you're so weak!" he teases.

She growls. "Don't get on my bad side, Salvatore."

"So scary," he mocks.

Bella huffs and leans against the back of the diner, by the back exit door. She yawns.

"Sleepy?" Damon asks. She nods. "Come here," he pulls her to him by her arm. He wraps an arm around her waist to support her and her head falls onto his shoulder. He's never noticed how perfectly she fits into his side. It's as natural as it gets. He rubs his thumb slowly in circles on her hipbone, willing her to relax.

The back door of the Diner opens and Bella moves away from him, going back to her stiff back, tense posture.

Angela nervously walks towards them, stopping a few feet away.

"How did you know about me?" She questions with a small voice.

"You have the witchy aura around you."

Both Damon and Angela look at her disbelievingly.

"It's true!" Bella defends, "It's easy to notice supernatural species when you've been around as long as I have."

Angela raises her eyebrows. "As long as you have?"

"Oh, right. Er, how to explain this?" Bella questions herself out loud. "I'm a vampire."

Damon stays against the Diner wall, glancing between the two females with contemplation.

He just smirks as Angela stutters, "Vampire?"

Bella nods. "Vampire."

"Uhm, why are you here, in Forks?"

"I need your help," Bella responds.

"My help?" Angela squeaks. "What could I help you with? I don't even know you!"

"Oh, well, I'm Bella and this is Damon." Bella points first to herself and then to Damon. At Angela's pointed look, she continues, "You know I'm a vampire. It's not something I mention to passing by people," Bella states dryly.

Angela stares at her. "Why should I help you?"

"Because I can answer the questions you have about your ancestors and why you have powers while other of your current lineage doesn't," Bella responds softly.

Angela hesitates. Who knows what Bella will have her do. _There's no harm in getting more information_, she tries to assure herself.

Damon observes quietly. _She's always bargaining, _he thinks. But then again, when you need something, offering something in turn is better persuasion. It is a selfish world…

Damon stays quiet during the ride to Angela's house. He silently observes Bella's interaction. She is so much like him, it's almost scary. The only difference is she's not an ass; she doesn't threaten to get her way but makes the other feel comfortable in her presence. She's almost…_good_, Damon concludes.

He had offered Angela the front seat but the girl seemed so uncomfortable, he had put her out of her misery and just sat beside Bella. Within seconds, Bella had the other girl unchained and talkingd.

He's been so tempted to say something so many times now but he's pretty sure Bella would not hesitate to rip him limb by limb and then leave him out in the sun if he messes up whatever she has going on with Angela. Vampires grow stronger as they age and she is over 1000, he remembers. He isn't going to take the chance. Maybe he'll get more information into her life. He _is _very curious to know why she needs a witch, and why she didn't just use Bonnie or Emily's powers. Does she have an ulterior motive for bringing him along? He frowns.

Before he's able to contemplate any further, Bella parks in front of a small, one story, white house.

Angela takes out the keys and opens the door.

"My parents are at work; we're in luck," she says, walking ahead.

Bella walks in freely but as Damon tries to walk in, he bumps into an invisible wall. His expression displays annoyance; he's forgotten he needs to be invited in as most people in Mystic Falls have already invited him into their home.

He hears Bella giggle before calling out for Angela.

"You need to invite him in."

Angela raises her eyebrow at her.

"How come you didn't need an invitation?"

"Er, it's complicated," she states. "I'm not entirely a vampire."

"Uh…Damon, come on in," Angela mumbles.

"Relax. Here, take vervain if it'll make you feel a bit more comfortable," Bella whispers, holding out a stub of green stem with small purple flowers on top.

"You're…somewhat of a vampire, so why doesn't vervain work on you?" Angela questions.

"I'm special," Bella gives a toothy grin.

"How do I know it works?"

"It doesn't," Damon states as he sits down on the couch, unable to hold back his comments.

Bella rolls her eye and swipes the vervain in her hand on Damon's chin. He yelps in turn as a small amount of smoke rises from his jaw and his skin gets split open for a few seconds. He gives Bella a hard glare.

"Sorry, Beauty. Visual proof," Bella states, handing Angela the flower.

"So…do you guys want to drink anything?" Angela asks nervously.

"Got any blood?" Damon snarks.

"No, we're good," Bella emphasizes. "Can you bring your grimoire? You'll probably need it."

Angela nods and goes to retrieve her grimoire.

"I thought we were here to visit Charlie," Damon states.

"We are. This is just a small stop." Bella grins at him.

"There's a witch back home yet you're using someone who doesn't even know you. And you told her what you are. Isn't that risky?"

"It's necessary."

"You have Bonnie. And Emily's powers," Damon tells her.

"I need someone to train Bonnie. I have neither the time, nor the patience."

"Why do you need to train her?" Damon raises his eyebrows.

"Because, Damon, the next months are going to be hard and dangerous. The more helpers on our side, the better. We'll need the power," Bella mutters.

Damon pulls his eyebrows together. He doesn't ask her any further, sure she'll only tell him to wait.

Angela comes back into the room carrying a thick, hard book. Damon takes notice it's bigger than the Bennets' Grimoire.

She sits opposite both Bella and Damon and puts her book down on the table between them.

"What do you need me to do?" Angela asks.

"How much history do you know, Angela?" Bella questions lightly.

"I know about the past witches, the burnings, and I have a diary that belonged to one of the witches that lived with the original one."

"Ayanna?" Bella butts in.

Angela gives a surprised squeak.

Bella gives a small smile. "I am Isabella. I'm sure Ayanna's mentioned me."

Angela's eyes widen comically. "You're so old," Angela blurts out, causing Damon to laugh and Bella to scrunch up her nose in distaste. "The diary says you died…" she trails off.

"I did, only I did not cease to live. As far as everyone was concerned, I was dead. It helped to stop those looking for me."

"Looking for you?"

"I have something that the son of the original witch wants. And I'm hoping you can locate another item for me."

"What item?" Angela questions.

"The moonstone. It's in Mystic Falls, but I need somewhere to start."

Angela tenses. "If you were alive back then, you should know the moonstone cannot be trusted with a vampire."

Damon's ears perk up. _Interesting…_

"But I'm not a vampire."

"You are part."

"Angela, you need to understand me. If I don't get the moonstone, someone else will. There are a lot of dangerous supernatural species out for it. And if it goes into the wrong hand, the delicate balance of the earth and nature will be disrupted. You can surely understand what I'm saying."

Angela hesitates.

"Ayanna trusted me. That's why she left the Original witch's necklace's traces for me."

Angela's eyebrows pull together. "Traces?"

"I am able to pull power from that necklace, whereas other witches are unable to. And I know exactly where it is as of today."

At Angela's sigh, Bella continues, "I can let you look into my promise with Ayanna if you wish."

"Wait, now. How is she going to do that?" Damon finally interrupts.

"Angela knows how," Bella states, watching Angela with a knowing eye. "You're strong for your age."

"I've been practicing for years."

Bella nods.

"If you won't mind, can I look? I'd be able to help you without having doubts pop into my mind, then," Angela asks sheepishly.

"I don't mind." Bella smiles.

Damon watches in morbid fascination as Bella's fangs extend, white and glistening sharp, and the veins around her red surrounded green eyes pop out. She punctures the inside of her hand, under her thumb bones and holds open her semi-bloody palm for Angela.

Damon stays quiet as Angela lays her hand on Bella's and concentrates briefly on a page on her grimoire before closing her eyes, starting a chant under her breath.

The air constricts around him. It tightens, it squeezes, and it pulls at his limbs, as if being pulled in the opposite sides by two different forces. He bites down hard on his bottom lip. Just as it gets unbearable, within seconds, it's gone.

He breathes in deeply.

Angela's eyes burst open, her throat tight. "I am so sorry," she rasps to Bella.

"What happened?" Damon questions.

"Just my past," Bella states lightly, sitting on the armrest beside Damon. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. What was that?" He asks.

"That was the past, which is just that: the past. There are always consequences to such things and for Angela, that meant having to share the pain I went through in the memory she was looking for. For you, it meant feeling the work of nature," Bella replies to his question.

Angela watches them with fascination. "I didn't imagine vampires looking like you…"

"What do you mean, looking like us?" Damon inquires.

"All…flashy with expensive clothes and cars. I thought you'd want to blend in," she confesses.

"It's helpful to be inconspicuous. You don't have to worry about people finding out about you or remembering you in some decades later when you've clearly not aged. But then again, what's the fun in living like that?" Damon shrugs. "I've learned to appreciate the beauty of eternity."

"Mmmmhmmm," Bella hums in agreement, distracted.

"How old are you two?"

"I'm 147 in vampire years. 24 otherwise." Damon winks.

Angela turns to Bella, who's looking out the window and concentrating on something.

"Isabella's somewhere over 1000," Damon answers instead.

"I figured," Angela nods.

"Isabella?" Damon nudges her. "Where are you, Gorgeous?"

"Seems we're not the only supernatural species in this town," Bella tells them dryly.

"Really?" Angela inquires, curious.

"Mmmhm. Shape-shifters."

"Shape-shifters?" Damon asks in disbelief.

"Werewolf shape-shifters. Like wolves, but not entirely."

"Elaborate," Damon commands.

"They change at will or when triggered by anger. Not the whole full moon change thing."

"Who knew a small town would hold a witch and fake wolves." Damon shakes his head, mumbling under his breath.

"They won't bother us. Anyway, Angela, back to the moonstone. You'll need to come to Mystic Falls, am I right?"

"Yeah," Angela confirms. "Magic is limited for me and I have not learned to extend it that far."

Bella suddenly gives a mischievous grin to Angela. "Wanna spend the remaining year in Mystic Falls? You won't even have to go to school. I can teach you whatever you need to know.

Angela contemplates for a bit. "Will I be safe?"

"I promise you will be," Bella tells her earnestly.

"Where will I stay?"

Bella turns to Damon, giving him a wounded puppy-dog-eye look. He stands firm but starts wavering when her pout becomes more prominent. He shakes his head and crosses his arms over his chest. "No." Bella's bottom lip begins to quiver, and Damon melts.

"You can stay at my house," he chokes out.

Bella squeals and claps her hands together.

"Living with two vampires…who would've thought?" Angela muses.

"And who would've thought I'd turn my house into a free hotel," Damon barks out. "And not two vampires, but three."

"Three?"

"My brother, Saint Stefan."

Angela cringes. Another vampire…

"He drinks animal blood," Bella pacifies.

"What about my parents?" Angela prompts.

"Leave them to me. You'll also need to quit your work."

"But I need mone—"

"You help me and I'll give you however much money you need," Bella finalizes.

"I'm not going to take money from you in return," Angela frowns. She only wants to do what Ayanna instructed. If what Ayanna described in her diary happened…

"I can easily pay through your College and Graduate education. I have centuries worth of saving."

"Just agree, witchy. She's too stubborn," Damon interrupts.

"What about school?" Angela shoots out.

"What time are your parents' home?"

Angela looks at the clock above the television. "In an hour at the most."

Bella nods. "I'm going to go set everything up with the school."

At Angela's questioning look, Damon clarifies, "Compulsion."

"Compulsion as in compelling people to do your bidding?"

Damon nods. "Stop frowning. Don't overthink things."

"So we'll see you in about an hour!" Bella cheerfully bids farewell, pulling Damon out with her.

Angela sighs. She has a feeling that the next months are going to be most interesting…

* * *

><p>Angela leans back on the leather seat of the Lexus, watching Bella and Damon banter about yet another thing. It seems to her that the only way the two communicate is through butting heads. It's fascinating to watch them. She's full of life and smiles and there's something about her that makes everyone around <em>care. <em>And then there's Damon, who's full of sarcastic, snarky remarks, and dry humor. They seem so similar yet so different. It's like two pieces of different puzzles mushing together to form their own little riddle.

Angela's still in disbelief, over the smooth handling of her coursework and parents by Bella. She concludes that even if she has to drop out in the future, she could still go to College and work her way up from there. But after skimming through Ayanna's diary where Isabella and the moonstone are mentioned, Angela makes this her first priority.

She thinks back when her parents met Bella earlier in the evening. Bella had her head held high, with all the necessary papers ready in her hand, and by the end of the night, had won her parents' heart. Apparently, the story would be that Forks High School had sent Angela's essays and her academic history to Mystic Falls' Scholarship Program that would give Angela a free ride to any University she got accepted into, but in turn, she would need to complete the rest of her education in Mystic Falls High School.

Her parents had talked to Bella a little, who had introduced herself as the President of the program and Damon as the security guard of the Boarding House…which wasn't all lies. Angela was sure her parents missed the growl Damon had given Bella. Her parents had readily accepted the offer after making sure it was what Angela wanted. They promised to come visit her and Bella had suggested to save trip money for them that she could drive Angela with her tonight. It took a little convincing but Bella had emerged winner in the end. Angela remembered the feeling of seeing her entire life packed into two boxes, which are now in Bella's car's trunk and a duffel bag that stored her clothes.

It's an odd feeling to leave behind the family. The people who know you, who you've grown up seeing; to leave them one day. Angela wipes under her eyes.

"Do you want to stay, Ang? I'm not going to force you," Bella says softly.

Angela shakes her head. "No, it just needs some adjusting to."

Bella nods.

She suddenly drives off road onto a trail into the forest. Angela's heartbeat races.

"I just want to see my father," Bella fills Angela in.

"In the woods?"

"He lives past these woods. It's easier through here," Bella smiles at her through the rear-view mirror.

"Take deep breaths before you pass out, witchy," Damon instructs.

Angela does that and after a few minutes, she relaxes back into the leather seat.

The darkness is empowering. Bella's headlights illuminate the path beyond, but the sides of the car are completely dark. They're probably in the middle of the forest now and who knows what kind of danger lurks.

Angela snorts to herself. _Afraid of animals that are no where near as dangerous as the vampires I'm sitting in the car with, _she thinks to herself.

Bella and Damon leave her alone with her thoughts, thankfully. They both quiet down, as well. The silence is welcoming and there isn't the lingering need to fill it with any kind of chatter.

Bella starts slowing the car's speed gradually. Angela leans forward and notices two things; one, in front, the trees open up to a small cabin, and two, Damon's pinky finger slowly trails up and down Bella's pinky that's on the gear shift. As Angela observes both Damon and Bella, she concludes they're both not even aware of the action. _It's as if it's natural…_

* * *

><p><strong>There you have it, more than 5700 words. Apologies for the delay. <strong>

**Thank you for reading, and the reviews, alerts, and favorites. I appreciate you taking the time. :) Your reviews give me the confidence to write. **

**Next chapter we meet Charlie! **

**Each reviewer gets a lengthy preview. **

**Favorite line? **

**Until next time. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Stepping out of the car, the three quickly make their way to the cabin. Just as Bella's about to knock, the door opens and Bella launches herself at the tall figure.<p>

"Daddy!"

The man gives a grunt, catching Bella and wrapping his arms tightly around her. Angela nervously fidgets with her hands, glancing between Damon and Bella. _What now_, she wonders.

Bella pulls back, smiling wide. The man moves to the side, opening his door further, a silent invitation. Angela smiles at him slowly and moves in, while Damon waits for a verbal invitation.

Angela looks back to see Bella's father's lip twitching at Damon.

"You don't need an invitation into a vampire's house, son," he says.

Damon raises his eyebrows and cautiously steps in. He visibly relaxes.

"Dad, this is Damon and Angela. Guys, this is my father, Charlie," Bella smiles up affectionately at him.

Damon extends a hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."

Charlie takes his hand and smirks. "Didn't take you for the polite type."

Bella mock whispers to Charlie, "Don't let him fool you."

Angela lets out a giggle as Damon teasingly gives Bella a glare.

"Call me Charlie, son," he insists.

"Hi," Angela greets shyly. He smiles warmly at her.

"Well, come have a seat, ya'll," Charlie drawls, waving to the couch and two arm chairs. "Anything to drink?"

"Not yet. We can't stay for long."

Charlie frowns. "You're visiting me after ages and now you won't even stay?"

Bella smiles sadly. "I'm afraid not."

"You don't look so good," Charlie observes, looking Bella up and down.

Damon furrows his brows and looks at Bella himself. She looks fine to him; relax and healthy. Then again, he's only known her for a few days, less than a week. Charlie's known her for centuries.

"I've found the necklace," Bella informs softly. "Angela's going to help me find the moonstone."

Charlie gives her a look. "I don't know if that's good news or bad."

Bella rolls her eyes, as Angela and Damon are once again left in confusion.

"They don't know, I take it." Bella opens her mouth to respond but Charlie beats her to it. "Time's not right," he mocks.

Bella pouts and Damon smirks. A few useful tricks from Charlie might be helpful to him.

Bella notices his smirk and pushes on his arm and stomps to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of beer.

"Anyone else want one?"

Charlie and Damon raise a finger, signaling their positive answer.

Angela shakes her head. "I don't drink. Underage, remember?" She says rhetorically, pointing to herself.

"We won't tell." Bella winks.

"It'll help you relax too, witchy," Damon mutters.

Angela rolls her eyes at him but declines the offer. Bella hands a bottle of beer each to Damon and Charlie.

"So tell me. This couldn't be the only reason you stopped by," Charlie says, his mustache twitching slightly.

"I wanted to ask you if you want to move to Mystic Falls. There's always room for a Chief of Police. If you decide to move there, I can buy a house," Bella responds.

Damon feels a slight edge in his chest for some reason when he thinks of Bella moving away. He can't decipher the reason or meaning of it, so he concentrates on Charlie and Bella's interaction, pacifying himself with the only reason he would feel her loss would be because he sleeps better with a body next to him.

Charlie frowns in confusion. "Buy a house? Where are you living right now?"

"I moved in with Damon."

Charlie looks at her wide eyed. "You two are together? He's your boyfriend?"

Damon chokes on his gulp of beer while Bella spits out hers in shock. Angela watches with silent glee; she's been wanting to question Damon and Bella's relationship but she's sure Damon would only make a sarcastic remark or want to rearrange her body limbs, so she had refrained earlier. Thank you, Charlie…

"Boyfriend?" Bella chokes out.

"Isn't that how it works today? You get a boyfriend and then move in with him?" Charlie questions in confusion.

Bella shakes her head adamantly. "God no. I'm just imposing on him and his brother like the charming person I am."

"She just barged in and announced she was staying. She's like moss," Damon says.

Bella glares at him.

Damon raises both his hands in 'I surrender' position. "You grow on people like moss too," he says innocently.

She rolls her eyes and just grins.

Charlie and Angela stare at them. The two are way too alike to make a good couple; they'd fight at every little thing, they'd challenge each other at the smallest of stuff, or perhaps that's what will make them a good couple. To have someone so similar that they'd understand each other completely.

They stay for a bit longer, sharing stories about Charlie's experiments in the lab on charmed Lapis Lazuli stones. He's apparently a vampire scientist, trying to find out how to make it easier for vampires to live and to discover the secrets behind everything. Although Charlie does the experiments for all the vampires, there are some personal selfish motives involved, or so Charlie tells them.

By the end of their talk time, Damon finalizes that he likes Charlie. He gives the same vibe Bella does; the one of ease. And he doesn't judge, Damon could tell.

When it's time to leave, Angela shakes Charlie's hand and leaves towards the car, looking back to see Charlie whisper something to Damon that makes Bella rolls her eyes. When Damon steps out of the house, Bella hugs Charlie tight around the middle for a few minutes before nodding in agreement to something. She presses a kiss to his cheek and joins Angela and Damon in the car.

* * *

><p>Angela rubs her eyes and then her neck. Sleeping in a car isn't ideal. When she's a little more awake, Bella wordlessly hands her warm coffee and a donut.<p>

"We stopped for gas and you were passed out. We didn't want to wake you," Bella explains with a warm smile.

Angela lets out a small squeak of thanks before drinking a few gulps of coffee to fully wake herself up.

"Where are we?" she questions after a few minutes.

"We're in Nebraska," Damon replies.

Angela raises both her eyebrows. "Already?"

"Have you seen her driving?" Damon snorts, looking pointedly at Bella.

She mockingly scowls at him. "As if you don't love speed."

"Love it? I fucking adore it." He grins.

"And the sooner we're back in Mystic Falls, the better," Bella quips.

"Why?" Damon asks.

Bella turns to him with a wary smile, but doesn't answer.

Instead, she turns to Angela and says innocently, "There's another witch in Mystic Falls. Bonnie Bennett."

"Why didn't you just ask her to help you?"

"She's new, amateur. And she's been conditioned to hate vampires, so," Bella trails off.

"How new is she?" Angela asks, interested.

Bella turns to Damon for confirmation. "A few months?"

"Less than five," he answers.

"She needs training first," Bella continues. "She's weak."

Angela thinks for a few minutes. At least there's someone to relate to in that town. It _would _certainly be nice to know another witch. All Angela's ever known is secrecy. Her parents don't know anything about the diaries that presented themselves to her, nor the grimoire that was found in the attic by her mother. When she had first found the grimoire, her mother thought it was just an empty, unused book. Angela had brought it back from the trash can; for some reason, she couldn't let it go; she wanted to discover something it in. She hadn't realized then that the symbols presented themselves to only whom they were meant for; the one who is the rightful owner of the grimoire at the time. It had taken her awhile, but surely, she had learned the Ancient Theban.

Angela furrows her brows, before addressing Bella. "I can help her…if you want. I mean, there wasn't anyone to help me and I wish there had been," she murmurs.

Bella gives a small, warm grin to Angela. "You can offer to help her. I think she'll take you up on it."

* * *

><p>They stop at a small gas station in Ohio, for Angela to freshen up and Bella to fill her small Lexus up. She rolls her eyes at Damon, who's still scowling at the lewd behavior of the gas station worker.<p>

"There's a thermos in the trunk," Bella tells him softly. He shakes his head. She pushes him lightly towards the rear of the car. "Drink, or you'll be cranky the entire ride home."

Damon rolls his eyes but complies.

"You're a good player," he comments, not exactly in an upbeat tone.

Bella frowns.

"What you did with Angela in the car, I mean," Damon clarifies.

Bella shrugs. "Had to be done."

"You manipulate your way through things often?" he snarks.

"It's better this way," she says. On his raised eyebrow, she adds, "Less likely she'll throw it back or use it to threaten me, or against me in the future. See, Damon, when someone's desperately in need of some leverage, they'll use people, words, and requests against us. Say, maybe in a month or two, if I do something that is right but Angela doesn't agree with me, she might use Bonnie against me, saying I asked her to help and she did, so I owe her. This way, she's the one who offered. She doesn't have any hold on me."

Damon stares at her in awe. The reason he manipulates is to get what he wants; he never thought about using such a smooth tactless motion to have the upper hand. A small part of his mind thinks back to recount if Bella's ever used any manipulation on him or Stefan, or Elena.

Bella catches his expression. "I've never manipulated you guys," she promises.

Angela steps outside, glancing at the Bella and Damon, who are standing so close, with only the gas pump between them. She walks over.

"What are we talking about?"

Bella grins at Damon and without turning to Angela, responds, "How Damon's turning into a softie."

Damon gives her a scowl. Angela snorts.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Bella asks Angela.

Angela shakes her head. "I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten since yesterday, and there wasn't any dinner, either. There's McDonalds here, but that's about it. And we'll probably be on the road until we reach Mystic Falls," Bella tells her.

Angela thinks and then agrees.

They grab some food, with Angela munching on her food in the back. She watches Damon and Bella fight in the front over the chocolate sundae and wonders if there ever will be a time the two won't be providing entertainment.

* * *

><p>"This is home," Damon announces, spreading his arms out.<p>

Angela briefly admires the stunning house before succumbing to her fatigue.

Damon carries her bag and with Bella, shows Angela to her room. Angela's jaw drops open when she sees the Queen-size bed with a white comforter in a huge, gorgeous room.

She barely manages to get out a 'Thank you' before launching herself on the bed. Damon leaves her bag by the door before proceeding downstairs.

Bella walks closer to Angela. She leans down and puts a hand over Angela's hand.

"Damon and I are heading to the grill. We'll be back soon, but rest up until then," Bella informs, smiling. All Angela remembers is Bella closing her door before sleep overtakes her.

* * *

><p>"Would you like anything to drink?" Damon asks Bella as then both walk over to where the rest are sitting.<p>

"No, but thank you," she replies, smiling warmly.

"Bella!" Elena gets up from the chair and hugs Bella tightly. "We were so worried," she continues, keeping her eyes trained on Damon. She gives him a small smile before sitting beside Stefan. Damon walks to the two empty chairs, sitting beside Alaric, leaving Jeremy to sit beside Bella.

He watches Bella as she walks towards the chair on his right side, pausing only to squeeze Stefan's shoulder lightly as a greeting.

"Supernatural gathering?" Damon asks with a sarcastic smile.

Stefan gives him an odd look. "Bella texted to have everyone here."

Damon raises his eyebrows at Bella but she smiles innocently. "I just want to meet everyone."

"Knowing you, you already know them," he responds.

"Yes, but shouldn't they know me, too?"

"Alaric, the local hunter," Alaric smiles, holding out a hand.

Bella shakes his hand with a grin. "Bella."

"And the rest you know already. Bonnie, Jeremy, Elena, Damon, and me," Stefan adds.

After a few silence moments of Bonnie staring at Bella, Damon interrupts.

"We have a new house guest, Stefan."

Stefan furrows his brows. "Who?"

"A friend of mine," Bella replies. "She's a witch."

"Why do we need a witch?" Elena asks, curious.

"You'll all find out later," Bella says, slapping Damon on the arm when she notices him lip syncing her sentence.

Damon gives her a boyish grin that makes the table widen their eyes and stare at him in disbelief.

"Oh, hi, Matt," Bonnie greets suddenly.

Bella looks up to see a tall blond with a small black apron around his hips, holding empty glasses.

"Hey, guys," Matt greets, before turning to look at Bella expectantly. "Hi, I'm Matt. I'd shake your hand, but…" he trails off, lifting the empty glasses up in explanation.

Bella gives him a smile. "I'm Bella. Nice to meet you."

Elena breaks off onto a random topic and everyone else soon follows for the next four hours. Elena taps her foot impatiently on the ground the entire time, wanting to ask Bella about the last few days and her absence with Damon.

They finally agree to leave. Bonnie declines to go to the Salvatore mansion when Elena mentions her plans to stay the night.

"I'll meet the witch some other time," Bonnie pacifies.

"I need to go grab something. You guys go ahead, I'll be right out," Bella instructs.

Stefan nods and holds open the door for the rest. He freezes just as Elena's about to slip her arm around his waist. Damon's head snaps towards the parking lot and within seconds, both brothers blur behind some cars. Bonnie and Elena share a look of horror before following them both.

Elena's breath hitches when she notices Stefan holding back Caroline, whose hair is a mess, eyes are blood red, has fangs and her mouth is covered in blood. He quickly moves Caroline to the side of the building, into the shadows.

"Oh my god," Elena vaguely hears Bonnie whisper before she sees Alaric helping Damon check the unconscious man on the concrete ground.

"He's dead," Damon informs them. Without delay, he picks up the body and puts him into the trunk of his car. Alaric moves back towards Bonnie and Elena, asking both if they're okay.

Elena feels Bonnie shaking beside her. She turns to look at her and gasps when Bonnie starts muttering some chants under her breath and flames start rising from Damon's legs. She watches in horror as Damon yelps and falls to the ground, desperately trying to put out the fire. Elena turns back to Bonnie, grabs her arm, and shakes her to get her out of her reverie.

"Bonnie, stop it! Bonnie! Bonnie!" Elena shrieks.

The door of the Grill slams open. Elena sees Bella holding something in a plastic bag, which she promptly puts on top of a random car.

"Grab her," Bella mutters to Alaric, taps her index finger to Bonnie's temple, and then blurs to Damon's aid. Bella tosses a bottle into the shadow and adds, "Get her to the boarding house."

Elena watches helplessly as Bonnie collapses unconscious, and Alaric catches her. She sees Bella help Damon into her car and turns to help Alaric put Bonnie in the back seat of his truck and then sits next to her, keeping Bonnie's head on his shoulder, and preventing her from falling when the car first reverses out of the parking lot and then moves forward to the boarding house.

* * *

><p>Elena sprinkles some water on Bonnie's face.<p>

"Bonnie?" Elena turns to Bella instead. "What did you do?"

"I stopped her from killing Damon."

"What's going on?" asked a groggy voice from the stairs. Elena turned to see a tall brunette wearing wrinkly clothes, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Ang, come on over here." Bella waves her towards the sofa. "Angela, this is Elena, Bonnie, Alaric, Jeremy, and you already know Damon. Guys, this is Angela."

Everyone murmurs their greeting before dispersing. Alaric sits by Damon who's scowling and nursing a glass of blood. Elena sits by Bonnie, holding her hand. And poor Jeremy's lost between wanting to see if Bonnie's okay and keeping an eye on Angela.

"What happened to her?" Angela asks, curious.

"She tried to set Damon on fire," Elena answers softly.

"Tried? She _did _set me on fire!" Damon growls.

Elena, Alaric, and Jeremy flinch. Angela and Bella hardly bat an eye.

Bonnie startles. She opens her eyes slowly, before shutting them, and then opening them again.

"Oh thank god," Elena whispers to herself before wrapping her arms around Bonnie's neck, squeezing her.

"Ow, Elena, not so hard," Bonnie mutters. "What happened?"

"I disabled your powers for a second," Bella informs her.

Bonnie glares at her. "What right did you have?"

"I can ask you the same."

"He's responsible for killing a guy!" Bonnie says, outraged.

"Oh, get over yourself," Bella snaps. "First, you were _also_ trying to kill someone. Second, it was Caroline; I'm sure you saw."

"It's because of _him_ she's a vampire!" Bonnie shrieks, pointing accusingly to Damon. Damon growls under his breath and glares at her, but Alaric stands in front of him, blocking Bonnie and Damon from each other.

"Bloody hell. He had _offered_ to give her blood. Elena protested. I told you what would happen should she die with his blood in her system. It was _you_ who told him to do it."

"But…but," Bonnie sputters.

"You can't even admit your own faults. Don't point out others," Bella firmly advices. "They're here."

A few seconds later, the door of the house opens and Stefan walks in, holding a trembling Caroline.

Angela watches in confusion as a tall guy holds firmly a blonde haired girl, placing her in a chair by the fireplace. Before Angela can blink, the blonde girl blurs to Damon and throws him towards the fireplace.

"I remember everything, you bastard! I can't believe you did that to me!" she yells.

He gets up, groaning, and tries to blur towards the girl but Bella intercedes. Stefan grabs the girl again.

"Stefan, Caroline, this is Angela," Bella introduces calmly, as if nothing happened. "Angela, Stefan, Damon's brother, and Caroline, a newborn."

"Newborn?" Jeremy questions.

"A term for a new vampire," Stefan answers.

"I'm leaving," Bonnie announces, eyes hard and scowling.

"Thank god," Damon mumbles.

Bonnie glares at him and stomps out.

"I'm going to go home, too," Jeremy mutters, glancing at everyone before following Bonnie out. "I can drop you off, Bonnie."

A few moments of uncomfortable silence pass.

"It's better if Caroline makes it to her house tonight," Bella suggests. "Her mother will want to check on her and she can't walk in the sun."

"Are you going to be okay with her?" Stefan asks Caroline.

"She'll be fine. Liz drinks vervain in everything. Her blood isn't appetizing anymore," Damon interrupts.

"I can drop her off," Alaric mentions. "It's late. You all should go to bed." At Damon's raised eyebrows, he adds, "I've got vervain darts if she does anything."

"You and your naughty little vampire weapons," Damon mutters. Alaric helps Caroline up and leads her towards the door.

Elena catches Caroline's hand as she walks past with Alaric and squeezes lightly in support.

After they hear the car leave, Elena turns to Stefan.

"How did this happen?"

"Katherine," Bella answers.

"Why would she?"

"Sending a message?" Angela interrupts. All heads turn to her. "Sorry…"

"No, no, she's right," Damon says. "Think about it. It couldn't have been someone else. Whatever Katherine needs or whatever she's doing, she doesn't want us interfering so she hands us a newborn vampire for distraction."

"What are we going to do?" Elena frowns.

"Kill her," Damon replies.

"What? No, we can't do that," Elena objects.

"No, of course not," Stefan comforts her.

"Did you all forget about Vickie Donovan? Caroline's mother is a vampire hunter. She'll never survive," Damon warns.

"Not Caroline," Elena mumbles mostly to herself.

"No, Damon," Stefan insists.

Damon rolls his eyes. "Fine. Give it a few days and see what happens. You'll want to kill her yourself."

"It's ideal," Bella says, and everyone turns to her. "Killing her is what should happen, but you decide what _will _happen. The choice is yours in the end."

Bella gives a pointed look to Stefan. Elena watches them stare at each other as if communicating silently.

"I'll help her adjust," Stefan finally says.

"Good. I accidentally left the food bag by the Grill, so I'm going to go make something," Bella states, skipping towards the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Elena spends the next few minutes talking to Angela as Damon loads up some blood bags for Stefan to give to Caroline. From what she observes, the girl is painfully shy and barely talks unless Bella sits with them.<p>

"How long have you known Bella?" Elena questions.

"Honestly? Less than two days," Angela answers.

Elena's eyes widen. "But you're so comfortable with her…" she trails off when Angela blushes.

"I don't really know why," she answers shyly. "But there's something about her."

Elena nods, knowing exactly how she feels.

Bella joins them shortly with plates of pasta. Both Angela and Elena thank her.

Stefan and Damon join them. Stefan lays a kiss on Elena's forehead and bids them all a goodbye. Damon sits on the arm rest of Bella's chair.

"He's gone to give some food to Blondie," Damon answers Elena's silent question.

"Want some?" Bella questions, lifting her plate a little as indication.

"You made that?" Damon raises his eyebrows.

"Yes. Don't be so surprised," she teases.

He grabs her fork and eats a mouthful, chewing slowly as if assessing.

Elena watches them curiously. She concludes something's changed between Bella and Damon in the last four days. Angela doesn't see anything new; the last two days made her get use to how both Bella and Damon act around each other. Not even surprising anymore.

"Pfft, I can make better pasta then this," Damon challenges.

"Na uh!" Bella sticks her tongue out at him.

He stares at her for a beat too long, and then replies, "I'll bet you on it." He smirks.

"Bet what?"

"If I win, you answer my questions," he declares.

"And if I win?"

"Then…what do you want?"

"I get to drive that classic car of yours." Bella grins.

Damon makes a face.

"Scared, Beauty?" Bella teases.

"Fine, Isabella. You're on."

Elena and Angela share a look.

"So what happened while we were gone?" Bella questions Elena.

"Bonnie and I organized a carnival."

"Normal day?"

Elena grins. "Fairly."

"That's good." Bella nods.

"Where did you guys go to?"

"Well, I initially went to kill Damon in a quiet place," Bella starts dramatically. "But then I decided he was too cute to die and brought him back here."

Elena and Angela let out a giggle at Damon's expression.

"You're calling me _cute_?"

"Yes, Beauty, I am."

* * *

><p>"I saw Mason Lockwood just about now," Stefan informs them as soon as he gets back.<p>

"Yeah?" Damon inquires, curious.

"He was running. Too fast for a human, but slower than us."

Damon turns to look at Bella. "What do you know about him?"

"Everything. But don't worry, you'll find out about him in a few days," Bella tells them.

"How?"

"Wasn't Alaric's wife a researcher? Anthropologist? I'm sure her work is still in her office," Bella points out. "She found you, Damon. She has the ability to pay attention to what others miss. Her work will answer a lot of your questions."

They all stare at her. Why didn't one of them think of it?

"It's getting late," Bella yawns.

"Would you guys mind giving me a small tour first?" Angela asks, blushing. "I got lost earlier when I woke up."

Elena laughs. "Don't worry; I did, too, at first."

Stefan wraps an arm around Elena's waist. "That's the kitchen," he points out. "The basement is through there, but you don't want to go in there. The second floor has a library, a study and a game room."

They all climb the stairs to the third floor, where Damon walks off towards a closed door, giving them a wave without turning around.

"This is my room," Stefan points to the first door. Then he points to the door opposite of his, where Damon went, "That's Damon's room. And this is yours, I guess?" He asks, point to the door next to his.

Angela turns to Bella. "Where's your room?"

Bella points to Damon's room. "Right there."

Angela furrows her brows, confused. "So where's Damon's room?"

"The same one," she answers with raised eyebrows.

"But…" Angela trails off.

"Goodnight guys," Bella says smirking and heads into the room Damon disappeared into earlier.

Angela leans towards Elena, "Are they together?"

Elena bursts out laughing and Stefan lets out a chuckle. "No, they're not."

"But the rooms…" Angela trails off again.

She blushes bright red at Elena's and Stefan's pointed looks, squeaks and runs into her own room.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading, and the reviews, alerts, and favorites. I appreciate you taking the time. :) Your reviews give me the confidence to write.<strong>

**Each reviewer gets a long preview. **

**Leave me your thoughts. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-readers, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_** and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**, for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>Breathe <em>by Breaking Benjamin.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"I'm not sure if it worked," Angela tells Stefan nervously, handing him an ancient looking ring with a royal blue stone nestling in the middle.

"It's worth trying before asking Bonnie," Stefan mutters to himself. "Thank you, Angela," he says gratefully.

"No problem." She blushes lightly.

"Can I drop you off at Bonnie's?" he asks politely.

"No, it's fine. Bella showed me her house. And if I walk, I'll get to see the town, too," she replies, fidgeting with the cuff of her sleeve.

"Showed you?" Stefan prompts, brows pulled together.

Angela nods. "There's this spell..." she trails off, not knowing how to explain.

Thankfully Stefan nods, understanding her predicament.

"Bye," she whispers before walking out the door.

Stefan watches the door close before heading upstairs. He hopes the ring would work; he doubts Bonnie would do a spell on one, especially since she saw with her own eyes Caroline kill someone. He hears a small _thump _come from Damon's room. Either someone fell out of bed or Damon and Bella are awake.

_Time to wake Elena up..._

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Alaric adjusts the bag on his shoulder as he walks into the Salvatore house.

He still feels a little odd as Damon had ordered him to come to the house first thing in the morning. He doesn't know what to think—if some vampire is loose in the town or if Damon was just being Damon. He carries his little weapons along just in case.

"Hey, Ric," Elena greets him. Stefan, who's sitting beside her in the living room, nods in Alaric's direction.

"What's up? Damon called me late last night. Said it was important," he inquires, sitting down on the sofa opposite of the couple. He hears some murmurs coming from the kitchen and a few utensils banging. He shakes it off and pays attention to Elena and Stefan.

"I saw Mason Lockwood use speed that's not normal for human," Stefan starts, "Not as fast as vampires, but far too fast for a human...without breaking a sweat."

Alaric furrows his brows. "What do you need me for?"

"We need Isobel's research."

Alaric heart beat picks up.

Stefan gives him a look.

"Her research?"

"You said she researched this town a lot, and the legends and folklore. Damon said Bella mentioned the Mayor's bloodline was from the wolves when she got Damon out of the fire, during Founder's Day," Elena explains.

"You think she might've researched wolves?" Alaric asks, eyebrows high.

Elena and Stefan nod.

"We need to get to her research," Stefan says.

"And you're her only relation as far as we're aware…" Elena trails off.

Alaric nods slowly, trying to quell his heart down, and hide the mixture of discomfort and hurt creeping up on him at the thought of seeing his wife's office—a place they spent so much time together, the school they met in. "I'll see what I can do. Her research is still at Duke University, since she's technically still labeled 'missing'."

"Thank you," Stefan says, grateful.

"No problem. Where's Damon?" Alaric questions.

Elena and Stefan share an amused look, and then both point to the kitchen. Alaric gets up slowly, shooting the couple a confused look. He walks to the kitchen and as he gets closer, he hears muttered curses by Damon. He peeks into the kitchen. He stares, jaw-slack.

"What is wrong with you?" Bella asks Damon, exasperated.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" he growls in return.

"Nothing! I'm just trying to make some breakfast!" Bella defends.

"And I was trying to help when you slapped an egg on my chest!"

"That was your fault! I was listening to music and you decided it would be fun to poke me!"

"I didn't know you were ticklish," he defends.

"Still your fault."

"You owe me a shirt."

"I don't owe you shit," Bella snorts.

Damon glares at her.

They both hear a muffled snort and turn to see Alaric turning red in the face, clearly holding back laughter.

As soon as Alaric sees his cover blown, he bursts out laughing. The image of Damon's black shirt covered in egg with the yellow standing out prominently…he vows to never let Damon live it down.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Elena grabs her old backpack, shoving in her wallet, phone, and another pair of clothes. Bella had told her to pack some necessities, not knowing how long the searching would take and not to mention the four and a half hour drive there.

"Are you going to pick up Angela from Bonnie's?" Elena asks Stefan, who's fiddling with his ring.

"No, she specifically told me not to," he tells her. "I'm going to have Caroline try the ring to see if Angela succeeded in the spell."

"What if Angela needs to get to the house?"

"She has a key."

"You gave her a key?" Elena asks, eyebrows raised.

"There isn't much I can do about it. If Bella trusts her, we'll need to. We need Bella. Angela doesn't seem the type to be deceptive, but looks can be a cover-up," he says. When Elena fidgets, he continues, "I'll do anything to keep you safe."

Stefan wraps his arms around her waist, pressing his chest to her back, and laying his chin on her shoulder.

"You'll be okay?" he asks, softly.

"I'll be fine. Isobel doesn't bother me," Elena lies. From Stefan's small sigh, he doesn't believe it.

"What about being with Damon in the car?" Stefan changes the topic.

"Ric and Bella are going to be there." She turns around in his arms. "I'm indifferent to him. Jeremy's fine and alive. I just don't want to have anything to do with Damon," she mutters, not entire believing herself.

"We could wait until Caroline's a little more stable," Stefan prompts, hopeful.

"No, we'll be fine. The sooner we find out, the better, right?" Elena puts her hands on Stefan's cheeks, pulling him in for a lingering kiss.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Alaric sighs. He rubs his neck. Then sighs again and looks up at Elena's house's closed door. He walks back off the steps. His emotions are all over the place, he's fidgeting, and doesn't know how to feel about going to his 'missing' wife's old office and pretend he's absolutely heartbroken at her disappearance. Not that the latter will be hard. His broken heart hasn't completely mended, but there's also anger. _How to hide that_…

He feels a small hand on his arm and turns to see Bella with a warm smile on her face, her headphones around her neck.

"You know you don't have to do this," she says softly.

He looks behind to see Damon arranging something in the trunk of his car.

"I know I don't have to go with you guys, but I need to. I need to move on from this," he confesses.

Bella rubs her hand soothingly on his arm. "You'll do just fine. This will be the closure Isobel never provided for you."

He frowns. "How do you know? Did he…?" Alaric looks back at Damon pointedly.

Bella shakes her head. "No. I just know about everyone. I like to know everything before making an appearance. I'm a control freak," she says lightly, hoping to clear the tension.

It works. Alaric gives her a small smile, the first genuine one since he was asked about Isobel's research.

"Thank you," he whispers, laying his own hand over hers.

The door opens.

"Hey, Ri—" Jenna breaks off, staring at Alaric's hand that's over Bella's. She looks at her and glares. And then glares at Alaric.

"I'm going to go see if Damon needs help," Bella offers. She turns up her volume high and plugs in her earbuds. Alaric's grateful to have the privacy from her at least.

"So this is why you've been busy," Jenna accuses.

"What? No, I just met her yesterday. It's the school, classes, work," he states weakly, coloring.

Jenna gaps at him. "You met her yesterday and you're already-? What is she, in your class?" she asks bitterly**. **

"Huh? No, no!" he fumbles with his words.

Jenna crosses her arms over her chest.

"I just wanted to thank you for allowing Elena to come with you. It's good for her to share some kind of a connection to her birth mother," Jenna says, without any emotion in her voice.

Alaric pales. "Listen, Jenna, I'm sorry with everything that's going on and wh—"

"Don't do that," she responds softly.

"You're hurt," Alaric states. When Jenna doesn't respond, he feels his heart speed up and his hands sweat. He fumbles for some sort of an explanation.

"So who is she?" Jenna breaks the silence.

"Bella. Well, Isabella, but she calls herself Bella."

Jenna snorts. "What's she like?"

"I don't know. I told you Damon introduced her to everyone just yesterday."

"We all know what kind of women Damon's friends with," Jenna mumbles under her breath.

"She's his girlfriend," Alaric blurts out. He mentally slaps himself as a loud noise comes from the car, like Damon dropping the weapon trunk. He curses under his breath.

Jenna's eyebrows rise nearly to her hairline. "Damon. And a girlfriend." She snorts again.

"Jenna!" Damon greets cheerfully, walking up to them. He comes to stand beside Alaric, patting him hard on the back and causing him to stumble.

"Damon." Jenna nods. "So I hear you have a girlfriend." She smirks.

Damon turns to Alaric with a tight smile. "Do I now?"

"Ric told me," Jenna interrupts.

Alaric gives Damon a pleading look.

"Did he?" Damon inquires, his smile becoming rough.

Jenna nods. "He's bluffing or is it true?" she asks, eyebrows raised.

Damon opens his mouth to answer when Alaric elbows him sharply.

Alaric scratches his stubble, whispering to Damon under his hand, "Please, Damon. Just do this for me. Help me out, man."

Damon sighs reluctantly. "Yes, Isabella and I…are together."

Jenna's mouth falls open. "What?"

Alaric nods. "Yeah, they're really cute."

Damon glares at him.

They all turn as Bella closes Alaric's truck's trunk and jogs up to the three, shutting off her music and taking out the earplugs.

"Hi, I'm Bella." She extends her hand to Jenna with a grin.

"Jenna," Jenna replies, watching Bella and Damon closely.

Damon wraps one arm around Bella's waist and pulls her to him. Bella looks at him with one eyebrow cocked, confused.

"Why don't you go help Elena pack, sweetheart?" Damon asks Bella, a huge fake smile plastered on his face.

She watches Damon carefully. "Alright," she replies slowly.

Before she can make a move to get out of his arm, he pulls her even closer. She subtly backs a little and he pulls her closer yet again.

Jenna and Alaric watch with wide eyes as Damon lays a soft kiss on Bella's forehead and then lets her go. Alaric notices Bella's narrowed eyes when she walks past them but Jenna misses it, giving Damon a questioning look.

"Was I supposed to believe that?" she questions a second later.

Damon frowns. "Believe what?"

"That you two are together? She looked like she wanted to be anywhere but near you."

"She just doesn't like public affection," Alaric defends for Damon.

Jenna nods, pretending she believes him. "Because you've known her so long," she replies sarcastically. She turns to Damon. "You two should come have dinner with us. Bring Stefan, too. And you can come, too, Alaric," Jenna says, faking her overly-excited tone.

Damon groans, wondering what he got himself into while Alaric rapidly agrees.

Damon glares at him again.

Jenna nods, pacified. Bella comes back downstairs, with both Elena and Stefan trailing after her.

When Jenna turns her back on them, Damon turns to Alaric, looking furious. "What if I didn't want to go to dinner that day?" he hisses under his breath so Jenna wouldn't hear.

Alaric turns to him amused. "I would've thought you'd be more mad about having to pretend to be in a relationship," he trails off, eyebrows raised.

Damon clears his face of emotion and stares anywhere but at Alaric.

"Have fun," Jenna tells Elena, training her beady eyes on Damon again.

Bella walks ahead slowly, trying to stay clear away from Damon. As she nears him, she moves onto the grass to get further away from him.

Damon wiggles his fingers at Jenna and Stefan and then makes a grab for Bella's hand.

"What are you doing?" she hisses at him.

"Your little comfort stunt put Ric further into the dog house. It's your fault," he fervently whispers back.

He opens the back door of Alaric's car and practically shoves Bella in.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Alaric steps out of the driver's seat and stretches. The car ride had been long, but he had been amused to no end when Bella started cutting Damon off every time he tried to speak by talking loudly with Elena.

Alaric turns to see Damon smack the car passenger door shut, fuming.

"I'm going to go freshen up," Elena informs them, pointing to the Ladies bathroom. They all nod at her.

As soon as Elena's gone, Damon turns to Bella, trapping her between Alaric's car and his body, holding her hostage.

"What are you playing at?" he growls at her, glaring.

"I'm saving your ass from the loss of another friend," she answers.

Damon falters. "What?"

"Knowing you, you would've said something in the car that would've made Elena want to slap you."

Alaric snorts.

"So let's get this over with and when we get back home, you can properly apologize to her and give her the bracelet you bought in Portland," Bella snaps, pushing on Damon's chest and moving away just as Elena comes out of the Ladies Restroom, exchanging the shawl for a jacket.

"Ready?" she looks at the three.

"Yeah, the Anthropology department is just through here," Alaric informs, leading them through a hallway with light grey hardened walls.

Elena keeps in step with Alaric, letting Bella and Damon trial along behind them.

"Uh, you guys go ahead. I'll be back in a few minutes," Bella tells them suddenly and jogs back, turning into the opposite corner of where they had entered.

Damon stares after her before turning back to the other two and shrugging.

They walk until they reach the slightly open office door titled, 'Anthropology—Folklore & Mythology'.

Alaric knocks and pushes open the door when they hear a soft 'Come in', leaving Damon and Elena standing outside.

"Hi," he extends a hand towards a tall, thin girl. "I'm Alaric Saltzman, I called in this morning."

"Of course, Mr. Saltzman. I'm Vanessa Monroe, research assistant," she smiles, shaking Alaric's hand. "I'll be leading you through Professor Isobel's office. Let me just grab the keys."

Vanessa turns around to rummage through a desk drawer, grinning triumphantly when she finds a bigger-than-average key.

Alaric mentions for Vanessa to move ahead of him. She smiles.

He follows her out of the office, where she suddenly stops, looking at Elena and Damon strangely.

"These are my friends, Damon and Elena. I hope it won't be too inconvenient should they join?" Alaric asks Vanessa, a charming smile on his face.

"No, not at all," she replies. "Isobel's office is through her classroom. While her classroom is sometimes used, her office is never opened unauthorized," Vanessa informs them, leading them through an archway and then into a soft, cream colored classroom filled with benches.

She juggles with the locks on a door behind the benches and after a few seconds of struggling, she succeeds in unlocking.

"Isobel was my Anthropology professor," Vanessa says, "She's the reason I'm furthering my education in Folklore and legends."

"She was very passionate about this subject," Alaric agrees softly.

"I have to ask, I'm s-sorry," Vanessa stammers before clearing her throat, "Has there been any news?"

"No, I'm afraid not," he whispers.

Vanessa nods with a frown. "Take a look around. I'll be back in a few minutes to help you find anything in particular."

Elena and Damon step into the office, studying it. Alaric stays outside for a beat. He takes a deep breath and repeats in his mind that this is a necessary step. He pictures Jenna's smiling face in his head, trying to gather courage to step forth and not let the memories of the past outweigh the importance of his future. He takes a step into the office, thankful neither Damon nor Elena noticed his hesitation. Unintentionally, his right hand flies up to his chest, covering his heart as if holding it from breaking. This was the place he had proposed, this was the place he spent countless hours watching his wife talk passionately about the subject she loved the most. His anger surfaces once again, as he thinks how she left him to become what she studied. _Did I mean so little to her_, he wonders, _but why would she leave me this ring, then?_ He never, in all those years with her, had realized her passion would become her future or that she would've wanted it. He shakes himself out his reverie and keeps Jenna's face in his thoughts, repeating in his mind to think of the future, not the past.

Elena looks around at the office. She frowns at the unkempt desk with scattered papers all over. She sees Damon look around at the papers and heads instead to the bookshelf, looking for anything familiar words. For some reason, her mind goes back to Jeremy, and she freezes.

"Hey, Alaric, where did Isobel get your ring from?" Elena questions suddenly.

"I don't know. Why?"

"Nothing. It just popped into my mind. Isn't that sort of ring supposed to be an heirloom or cast with a witch's spell?"

Alaric pauses in his search of the drawers and turns to Elena. "I never thought about that."

Elena shrugs. "Oh."

Damon freezes, "Where's Isabella?"

"She said she needed something," Alaric says, looking at Damon oddly. "Why?"

Damon doesn't answer for a few minutes.

"I feel weird," Damon admits, a frown on his face. "It felt like Isabella was near and then suddenly, she disappeared."

Elena and Alaric give him an odd look.

"I mean, it's almost like I felt her next to me and then she suddenly lef—never-mind. Forget it," he mutters and turns back to his search.

The three shuffle things around for a few minutes, trying to find something, anything. The only sounds in the room are of papers fluttering, books softly hitting wood, and the occasional footsteps. And something that sounds like the cocking of a gun.

Elena turns around and gasps when she sees Vanessa standing with an odd gun in hand, a wooden bullet in front of it, ready to launch. Before she can blink, three things happen: Vanessa shoots, aiming straight for Elena's heart, Alaric closes his hand around Vanessa's throat and pushes her against the wall by the door, the gun in the process falling to the floor, and Damon blurs in front of Elena, taking the bullet meant for her in his upper right back.

Alaric shoves Vanessa into the chair behind the desk, immediately closing in on her to prevent her from escaping.

Vanessa watches as Damon groans and leans forward on the table.

"Get the bullet out, Elena," Damon orders, getting out a pocket knife and handing it to her.

Elena winces. She grips the end of the pocket knife and hesitates.

"Elena, it hurts. Get the damn thing out," Damon orders. He turns to Vanessa and glares at her. "What the hell was that for?"

"I panicked, okay!" she yells in reply.

"You're going to pay for it. Get it out, Elena!" Damon yells.

"You're not going to hurt her," Elena orders.

"Watch me."

"Promise me or I'm won't ever talk to you again," Elena commands.

"You think that holds any power over me? I only took the bullet for you because I promised Stefan I'd take care of you. And I'm a man of my word. Now take the damn thing out!"

"Right. Forgot you're psychotic who kills impulsively," Elena mumbles.

"It's what I am, Elena. I hunger, I kill. I rage, I kill."

"Do whatever you want. I don't care."

A pale hand shoots out in front of Elena and takes the pocket knife from her. Within a second, the knife is jammed into Damon's back as he hisses, and the bullet is out. Elena looks up to see Bella fuming.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Bella demands.

Vanessa watches with wide eyes as the wound on Damon's back mends itself within a few seconds. He rolls his shoulders and cracks his neck.

"I'd be extra nice to me right now," he quips to Vanessa, eyes blazing.

"I felt Elena get hurt," Bella interrupts.

"Nope," Damon says. "Just little old me. Saved her. You're welcome."

Bella frowns and then changes the subject. "Found anything yet?"

"No. We got a bit preoccupied," Damon snaps, once again glaring at Vanessa.

"What else could have I done? You're the fir—first…first," she stutters.

"Vampire," Damon finishes for her, giving her a toothy grin, his sharp teeth gleaming.

"Why me, though?" Elena questions. "I'm not a vampire."

Vanessa's eyes widen. "But…Katherin—"

"I'm not Katherine," Elena sighs, annoyed at the misunderstanding. "I'm Elena Gilbert. Katherine's descendant."

"Why are you here?" Vanessa inquires weakly.

"We need information on Mystic Falls," Alaric says.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Vanessa drops down two thick books and points to a box on top of the book shelf, keeping a wary eye trained on Damon.

"That's all there is to Mystic Falls," she informs, wincing as Bella blurs to the box and puts it on the table.

"What about wolves?" Damon asks.

"Wolves?"

"Werewolves, shape-shifters, lycanthropy," Bella lists.

"None in Mystic Falls as far as I'm aware."

"Aztec legend?" Bella prompts her.

Damon moves towards the storage room in the office and Vanessa instinctively moves farther away from him. He silently smirks.

"Here, take this," Elena holds out a stub of vervain.

"Vervain works?" Vanessa asks.

"Nope," Damon calls out.

"You want me to give a demonstration again?" Bella questions him, moving past them to grab another box from the top of the bookshelf.

Damon turns to give Bella a look.

Vanessa leans in and whispers to Elena, "He can hear us?"

"No," Damon draws out in a stage whisper, "That would be creepy."

"Can he read minds, too?" Vanessa asks.

"You know, if you want to see me naked, all you have to do is ask," Damon smirks, coming back into the office.

"No," Elena emphasizes, glaring at Damon, "that he can't do."

"He's very capable being an ass, though," Bella mock whispers, putting a box in front of Elena.

Vanessa grins, briefly admiring Bella for not being afraid.

"Katherine's arrival in Mystic Falls," Bella explains at Elena's look of confusion.

"You won't find much information in that," Damon says, smirking.

Elena turns to him. "What do you know?"

"Why should I tell you?" Damon pretends to think.

"Wouldn't you want me to know about my lineage?"

"Hm...I'll think about it."

"Some friend you are," Elena frowns.

"I thought I wasn't your friend," Damon objects.

"That was your own doing."

Bella looks at the clock hung in the office. "Hey, guys, I'm going to leave. I'll meet you at the Boarding house."

"How are you going to get home?" Damon asks, blurring in front of her to block the doorway.

Bella leans in, keeping her eyes on him. "Run," she smirks and blurs out.

Damon curses under his breath and turns to Vanessa. "So, Aztec legends."

"I read briefly about Aztec legends about werewolves being traced through Virginia," she recalls.

"What about documented papers?" Alaric questions.

"They were all burned."

"By?"

Vanessa shrugs. "I never found out."

"What else do you know about them?" Elena asks.

"Well, I remember that long time ago, the werewolves and vampires roamed free, ruling over the human race until a shaman put a curse on them; the curse of the sun on the vampires, allowing them only to prowl at night, and the curse of the moon on the werewolves, allowing them to transform only on the night of the full moon."

"How is that a curse?" Damon snarks.

"While in the form of a wolf, they are no longer able to think as a human; they have no compassion, no guilt. They can protect themselves _and_ wreak havoc. While in the human form, they have to face the consequences and suffer through the pain of the transformation. They are nor superior nor equal."

"Why haven't I come across one, then?" Damon questions.

"You're lucky, then. Vampires and werewolves are each other's rivals and enemies. Vampires are faster, more lethal than wolves, but a wolf bite is fatal to the vampires."

Elena exchanges a glance with Damon and Alaric. "I'm going to go call Stefan," she manages to get out before leaving the office, phone in hand.

Damon briefly looks through the bookshelf while Vanessa hands Alaric something that resembles wood-chips in a ziplock bag. He grabs a book and puts it in Elena's bag.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Damon smirks and gives a mock wave to Vanessa.

Elena turns to her, "Thank you for today. We really appreciate it," she says before following Damon to the car.

"Thank you again, Vanessa," Alaric shakes her hand.

"No problem."

"I trust the main reason of this visit will remain with you," he confirms.

"Damon gave me the 101 along with some gory information. Don't worry, I won't breathe a word," she says. "Did…is Isobel…what happened to her? Honestly?"

"She wanted to become her research. She got her wish."

Alaric waves to her and turns to his car without waiting for a reply.

"I'm driving," Damon barks out.

Alaric doesn't say anything. He gets into the passenger seat of his car.

The next two hours are spent in silence.

They arrive at the Salvatore house. Alaric and Elena stumble in, tired from the day's work.

"Stefan and Bella aren't here," Damon answers Elena's silent question.

She frowns. "They should've been home by now..."

"Scotch? Bourbon?" Damon offers.

"Scotch," Alaric replied.

The front door opens and they all turn.

Alaric's jaw drops open, Elena's eyes widen and her breath leaves her in a small gasp, and Damon's glass in his hand shatters with pressure as they see a shirtless Stefan lead inside an injured Bella, who's wearing nothing but a blue button down shirt...Stefan's.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading, and the reviews, alerts, and favorites. I appreciate you taking the time. :) Your reviews give me the confidence to write.<strong>

**Explanation: I change between past and present tenses to show what's happening and what has already happened without using italics. It's a neat trick with words, to use them to your own desire. For example, when Alaric gets out of the car, it's present tense but the next sentence is past-it shows that Alaric is thinking back to the car ride that has already ended. **

**On another note, I have a Facebook page especially for Fanfiction where I'll be posting dialogues from this story as teasers daily. You can look me up through [**_Corrupt Subduction**] **_**or click on the link on my profile. It was amazing to get to know some of you! **

**Each reviewer gets a long preview. **

**Leave me your thoughts~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-readers, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_** and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**, for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter. Any/all mistakes are mine. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>**Hint** A very fitting song for BellaxDamon's future relationship: <em>Breathe _by Breaking Benjamin._

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Bella winces with each slow step inside, the pain clear on her face.

Damon blurs to her instantly. He picks her up bridal style and as his hands touch the smooth ivory skin of her thighs, he pauses briefly, feeling his body react to her close proximity. His mind suddenly flashes to the mornings he wakes up before Bella. The images of her pressed close to him race through his mind before he forces himself to concentrate on her face and blurs to the couch, depositing her gently.

"You didn't have to," Bella points out.

"Right," he says in a mock serious tone, giving her a look of disbelief.

"I could've walked!" she pouts.

"And by the time you would've made it to the couch, Elena would be 50."

Bella rolls her eyes.

"Your eyes ar—" Elena begins, but Damon cuts her off.

"Did you walk all the way from wherever you were?" he demands.

Bella looks sheepish.

"And you let her?" Damon growls at Stefan.

"She wouldn't let me help any other way!" Stefan defends.

"Because it's so hard to just grab her," Damon replies in a monotone.

"She punched me when I tried…" Stefan trails off.

"What the fuck happened?" Damon glares at him. "Did Bambi and Thumper band together and attack you?"

Bella snorts. "No, they appointed someone else to do the work."

Elena moves closer to Bella, smiling weakly. "How did that happen?" Elena asks, pointing to Bella's leg.

Alaric takes a look at her wound and lets out a low whistle. "That's deep. Why isn't it healing?" he asks, confused.

Bella eyes Elena. "Nothing happened between Stefan and me."

Elena just gives her a sheepish look.

"It's okay," Bella pats her hand.

"So why isn't it healing?" Damon asks, disregarding the momentary relief at Bella's confirmation. He stares at the wound.

"_How_ did it happen?" Alaric repeats Elena's question at the same time.

"Werewolf attack," Stefan says slowly.

Three heads snap up to look at Stefan: one wondering if he's joking, another wondering on the healing process, and the third blank.

The third head snarls at Stefan. "Explain. Now."

Alaric lays a hand on Damon's shoulder, frowning, and tries to calm him down a bit.

"Mason Lockwood attacked me," Stefan pauses at Elena's sharp breath intake. He tries to give her a small reassuring smile and fails. "Bella helped…well, more like saved me, and in the process she got hurt," he rambles.

Everyone turns to look at Bella.

"I'll be _fine_," she emphasizes.

"Yeah, we can see that," Damon says blankly, pointing to the still-deep wound.

"Why isn't it healing?" Elena asks, worried.

"I need bloo—"

Damon blurs away from them and when the sound of banging from the floor below reaches them, Stefan follows after his brother. Stefan's mouth drops open when he finds a fist size hole in the basement wall and Damon hunched with his knees bent on the floor, clutching at his hair.

"Damon?" Stefan asks cautiously, moving slowly towards his brother.

Damon growls before standing up and punching the cell door, leaving it bent inwardly.

He breathes heavily, leaning on the blood bag storage fridge, small tremors going through him.

"I've never felt this helpless," he eventually mutters back to Stefan.

"She'll be fine," Stefan tries to comfort, squeezing Damon's shoulder.

"How do you know that?" he asks quietly.

"She said so," Stefan answers weakly.

Damon shakes his head.

"You're afraid," Stefan finally accuses in a surprised tone.

"No, Stefan," Damon replies sarcastically, "I'm not afraid of losing the one person who understands me. The only person to ever understand me. She saved me twice, Stefan, twice. And I can't even do an—" he cuts off, flailing one arm through the antiques saved on the shelf above the fridge, breaking the vases there.

Stefan grabs Damon's arm. "We're going to do everything we can, Damon. We won't give up without a fight. She needs blood, let's get that to her."

Damon grabs a few bags and blurs back to Bella without waiting for Stefan.

He rips open a port on one of the blood bags, immediately shoving the open portion into Bella's mouth.

She sputters as she instinctively swallows the small amount of blood.

"_Drink_, Isabella," Damon orders.

Bella shoves his arm away before he grabs a hold of her chin, putting the open portion once again between her lips.

"Drink, dammit!" he yells at her.

"I can't! It'll make it worse!"

Elena watches with wide eyes as Damon's hand shoots out to throw the blood bag against a wall. He curses under his breath and stares at Bella with an unknown expression on his face.

Elena's stomach flips at the sight of the blood covered wall before she turns back to Bella.

"Werewolf bite is fatal to vampires…" Alaric whispers under his breath, running the information Vanessa gave them earlier through his head, trying to recall an antidote.

Elena feels her bottom lip quiver and the corner of her eyes sting. She feels helpless. There are so many questions roaming in her mind; is this why Bella had left them earlier? If yes, how did she know?

Along with the string of questions, there's fear and gratitude. If Bella hadn't reached Stefan, he would've been the one badly hurt and on the verge of dying. As soon as this thought passes through Elena's mind, a tear leaves a streak across her cheek. Bella helped him, saved him, but why? She doesn't really know them, she's barely met them a few days ago and yet here she was, saving and doing her best for them. She put her own life in danger to save Stefan's.

The next thought that hits her makes her knees shake and she collapses near Bella, grabbing a hold of her hand. She couldn't lose her. True, she's only known Bella for a few days, but there was something about her that gave her the strength to live her life, to not constantly look over her shoulder for danger. Bella had told her, after all, that even Katherine was afraid of her. It isn't that Bella's powerful or keeping away Katherine that hits Elena hard. It's the fact that she can relate to someone for once. Bella's alone in the world, just like Elena is. Sure, Bella might have a few friends, but there's no one that's truly her own, just like Elena. Bella knows how it feels to not be in control of everything, she knows how it feels to live a life that someone else chose for her. Bella knows how it feels to be let down by those that are supposed to love you. Elena thinks of how Isobel and John would rather work with Katherine than help their own daughter. Elena thinks about Katherine. Elena knows she's not in control of her life; she knows that there's a reason she's the doppelganger and she'll have to suffer through the curse of being identical to Katherine.

Her hand tightens its hold on Bella's hand. She wipes angrily at the tears, not even wondering anymore why life isn't fair.

Stefan moves from his place behind the arm rest of the sofa where Bella's back rests. He sits down near Elena, grabbing her hand to comfort her, but leaving the other on Bella's shoulder in either support or gratitude…he doesn't even know. He doesn't know what to think, what to do. There aren't many things that make a vampire helpless. Vampires have learned to make their own way out of situations but this one leaves him baffled. Bella's proven her loyalty, but at what price? Her life as well as Elena's?

The silence is broken by Alaric a few minutes later.

"How did you save Stefan?" he asks in a low voice.

"She's a vampire. Vampires are stronger, faster, more lethal; remember what Vanessa said?" Elena replies in a rhetorical question, a tremor in her voice.

Stefan shakes his head and looks at Bella, silently asking her to explain to the rest exactly how she had helped him.

Bella sighs. "I told you guys I'm not exactly a vampire."

"What?" Alaric asks, confused.

"Well, I'm part vampire. And I'm part wolf," she admits.

The ticking of the clock is the only sound in the room before Elena breaks it.

"Your eyes…" she trails off.

Bella raises her hand to lightly trace the skin underneath her eye. "Yeah, they change to this color on the night of the full moon."

Damon looks into her eyes silently. Whereas he's previously admired her dark forest green eyes, today, she looks lethal. Naturally, her eyes have always been alluring, but today, there's something hypnotizing about her eyes. The dark black outline enhances the pure green color before melting into a ring of chalk yellow surrounding the iris. Damon's eyes unintentionally trace over her shirt clad figure. From the pale, inviting collarbone to the cleavage showing through the two open button on top of the shirt, to the swell of her cloth covered breasts, to the dip of her small waist expanding into her full hips, and then to the ivory long legs. Her feet are dirty from walking barefoot, but the way the blue of the shirt shines off her skin color distracts him. Her open wound nags at the back of his mind, and shakes him out of his stupor.

Damon's mind registers what Vanessa had said; that wolves cannot control themselves.

He crouches in a protective stance against Bella before he can register his actions, curling his lips upward, exposing his sharp teeth, fangs extended.

Stefan immediately pulls the same position, but in front of Bella.

"Calm down," he orders Damon.

"Wolves can't control themselves," Damon snaps.

"She can!" Stefan replies loudly in a strict voice.

Damon stares at Stefan and relaxes his body after a few seconds, but his shoulders stay tense. _It's a full moon, though_…

"I don't change because of the curse," Bella answers Damon's silent question.

"How are you both a vampire and a wolf?" Alaric asks curiously.

"Long story. The original witch has something to do with it. Save it for another day," Bella finalizes in a firm tone.

Damon lets out an agitated breath.

"Why isn't the wound healing?" he questions.

"I—" Bella breaks off suddenly, her head whipping around to look at the stairs.

She blurs upstairs, not as fast as before, but still fast.

Damon makes a move to follow her, but Stefan blurs to him, putting a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"What?" Damon barks out.

"Shh, listen to that!" Stefan hisses out.

Elena and Alaric watch silently as both brothers lower their head a bit unintentionally as if to stare at the ground, concentrating hard.

Elena's heart beat increases when both their heads snap up to look towards the stairway. She turns to look as well. She gasps as Bella walks over with her leg completely healed. And then she tosses a pale, unconscious Katherine on the couch.

Elena stares at Katherine. She's previously seen her in the photo Stefan had kept, but to see a live…or undead living form of your own self is unsettling. Her stomach flips and she averts her gaze.

Four pairs of eyes burn into Bella. She sits down on the single sofa and crosses her legs, causing Stefan's shirt to rise.

"Are you going to explain or is the time not right?" Damon asks with a smirk, inclining towards Katherine.

Bella sighs. "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you…"

Damon stares at her. "I'm already dead."

"Shit. Loopholes," she mock pouts, then voids her face of emotions. "Vampire blood serves the same purpose to me as it would to a human. It has healing powers for me."

"Why doesn't human blood do that, like it does for us?" Stefan questions, pulling Elena to sit with him on the couch opposite of the one Katherine's on.

"I'm not exactly a vampire. While I need human blood to sustain and survive, vampire blood contains healing substance. Human blood merely manages to heighten my senses as it does to you while vampire blood provides me the ability to be superior to even supernatural creatures."

"Why would human blood have made it worse for you?" Alaric prompts.

"When I'm hurt by a wolf bite, the wolf part in me becomes dominant to keep the vampire in me from harm. When the wolf side becomes dominant, the human blood only burns the wolf blood in me. I take it Vanessa told you the tale?"

Two heads nod.

"What she might not have mentioned was that wolves were conditioned to hunt only their natural enemies. They couldn't hurt humans. The conditioning was scarring; such as burning the wolves' flesh if they were captured by a shaman. Stubborn to still be superior to humans, the wolves terrorized the humans, by destroying land and fertilization. While the wolves couldn't harm the humans with their teeth—the strongest part of them—for the fear of the humans' blood, they were still able to hurt them with their bodies. And then the shaman put a curse on them," Bella explains.

"The curse of the moon?" Elena furrows her brows.

Bella purses her lips. "Story for another time."

"So you drained her?" Damon asks, giving a pointed look at Katherine.

Bella grins. "Don't worry. She's not dead."

Damon rolls his eyes.

"You can control yourself as a wolf? Do you change whenever you need to or just on the nights of a full moon?" Alaric prompts with a curious look.

"I can control myself, yes. I change whenever the need arises or on will."

"Can you change right now?"

"Ric!" Damon slaps him on the back of the head.

"What? I just want to see," Alaric mumbles back.

Bella grins at them. She shrugs and stands up. She leans her body weight on her upper body, as if to pounce and after a few bone cracking sounds, the shirt rips into shreds and a cream-white colored wolf stands before them.

Elena blinks. She fights the sudden urge to cuddle the wolf. She had thought that the wolf would have been bigger to fight a vampire, but Bella's form was tiny! She didn't reach higher than Elena's knees on all four legs.

The wolf trains her eyes on Elena, and gives her something resembling a grin. The wolf moves forward slowly. Damon steps closer to Elena just in case, but the wolf merely nudges Elena's leg. Elena runs her hand through Bella's fur with a wide smile.

"She was a lot bigger earlier," Stefan mumbles just before Damon bursts out laughing.

"You're tiny! You're supposed to fight a vampire?"

The wolf's head spins to Damon and she growls, just before pouncing on Damon.

It's a blur for a few seconds but Elena snickers at the results. Damon's on his back on the floor with wide eyes with Bella's paws on his chest, restraining him. She shows her sharp teeth and playfully pretends to bite him.

They all hear a movement on the couch and see Katherine fidgeting, as if waking up.

Bella runs upstairs.

"She's strong, I'll admit, but she _saved_ you from a _werewolf_?" Damon questions Stefan with a look of disbelief.

"She came higher than my waist earlier," Stefan shrugs.

"Being a wolf takes a lot out of me. So my size depends on whether or not there's danger around," Bella informs, coming down in a black male's shirt.

"How long till she wakes?" Elena asks, inclining her chin towards Katherine. She does not want to be there when she's awake.

"Two or three minutes. Speaking of," Bella continues, "I need to leave before she sees me. Damon, why don't you and I drop off Elena at her house? She looks dead on her feet. Oh, and Stefan, can you text Angela to stay at Bonnie's tonight? Thanks."

Without waiting for an answer, Bella gets up and slips her feet into her leather boots.

"You're going to wear my shirt out?" Damon raises one eyebrow.

"It's late at night; no one's going to see me. Besides, it looks like it's going to rain outside. I hate wearing clothes if I can feel the raindrops drenching me wet and kissing me cold," she winks and slips out the door.

Damon's lips part slightly and he feels his breath leave him in a small hiss. He shakes his head as if to clear his thoughts when the door closes on Bella's silhouette before following her out himself.

Elena just blinks. She kisses Stefan goodnight, whispering a soft 'I love you' and waves to Alaric, who is collecting his own bag. She moves towards the door, staying as far away from Katherine's still unconscious body as possible.

"Walking or car?" Damon asks.

"Elena looks too tired to walk," Bella comments.

"It's not that far of a walk if we go through the woods."

"You're not afraid of walking through the woods at night?" Damon asks.

Elena rolls her eyes. "I have two vampires with me," she offers.

"Fair enough."

"So that's why you were wearing Stefan's shirt earlier," Damon comments offhandedly, remembering the ripped shreds of Stefan's shirt, as they walk into the woods.

Bella nods.

Elena watches Damon and Bella curiously as he mocks Bella's wolf form size and she playfully pushes him.

Elena's fascinated at the grin Damon has on his face. She's so used to seeing him only smile when it's sarcastic or smug that it's surprising; but he genuinely feels happy and it shows on his face right now. Her stomach feels heavy, as if there's something pushing on it or as if her heart dropped to her stomach. Her stomach burns. She frowns in confusion at the feeling. It's unusual, unknown to her, and for some reason, she thinks it's because of the way Damon and Bella are interacting with each other.

Bella hugs her goodnight at her doorway and then walks away a few feet, as if giving them privacy.

Elena gives Damon a small, confused smile and is about to open her door when he comments.

"Katherine's past, your ancestral past…I put the book in your bag," he mumbles, shuffling his feet. "And I'm sorry for what I did with Jeremy."

Elena frowns. "Do you genuinely mean that?"

"Do I regret killing? No. Do I regret it was him? Yes."

Elena's jaw clenches. Damon stares at her, something clicking in his mind.

"It's in my nature, Elena. I'm not going to forsake my nature like my brother. He can pretend all he wants that he's human but the truth is, he's not. Neither am I and I won't pretend to be someone-something-I'm not," he states firmly.

"I…I need time to think, Damon."

"You need time to think to be my friend?"

Elena nods slowly.

"Tell me, Elena. Is it because of my lifestyle or is it because of Jeremy?" Damon questions, eyes ablaze.

Elena stutters, but is unable to answer.

"I'm not going to change who I am. Keep that in mind when you're 'thinking' about your decision," he commands, making his way towards Bella.

Elena looks at Bella in hopes of getting a reassuring smile, but Bella gives her a blank smile, giving nothing away. Elena stumbles into her room feeling lost and even more confused.

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you for reading, and the reviews, alerts, and favorites. I appreciate you taking the time. :) Your reviews give me the confidence to write.<strong>

**I've decided to write 3000-4000 words a chapter now, as my finals are coming up and the updates would be faster this way. **

_Am I losing your interest? What can I do to make it more interesting? _

**On another note, I have a Facebook page especially for Fanfiction where I'll be posting dialogues from this story as teasers daily. You can look me up through [**_Corrupt Subduction_**] or click on the link on my profile. I loved getting to know those who added me on the chat! **

**Each reviewer gets a preview.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-readers, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_** and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**, for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>**Hint** A very fitting song for BellaxDamon's future relationship: <em>Breathe _by Breaking Benjamin._

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Elena wakes up to the ringing of her cell phone on her bedside table.

"Hello?" she greets groggily.

"Elena?" Stefan's worried voice rings out on the other end.

"Stefan?" she chokes out, the feeling of dread filling her stomach as she remembers who he was left with the night before.

Elena's mind had been spinning most of the night last night, with incoherent thoughts of Damon and Bella, and the feeling she felt at the pit of her stomach, as well as Damon's parting words. Not once did Stefan and Katherine cross her mind last night. She had fallen into a restless sleep with contorting thoughts of the Salvatore brother who should've never been on her mind in the first place.

She rubs her eyes, feeling guilt set her expression to a frown.

"Are you okay? You don't usually sleep this late. Did Damon do something last night?" Stefan rushes out, letting a low growl loose at the end.

"Yeah, just had some trouble sleeping last night," she replies. "Don't blame Damon," she commands after a post thought.

"Alright," he drawls out slowly.

"So what happened last night?" Elena asks, sitting up straight in her bed, pulling the white comforter over her tank top covered upper body.

"Katherine woke up disorientated."

"Is it possible for vampires to be disorientated?"

"It was odd. She had this wild look in her eyes; something that resembles both a drunk and a psychotic person," he confesses.

Elena furrows her brows. "So what happened?"

"She rambled off lots of facts mostly to herself; many that we can use to our advantage."

"Like?" she questions, grudgingly getting out of her warm bed and making her way to the restroom to brush her teeth.

"She hinted that Lockwood werewolf gene has been around even before 1864. The oldest I know would be George Lockwood, and according to Katherine, she made a deal with him. He would set her free after she was carried to the church while the rest perished in the fire. She didn't know Damon had struck a deal with Emily as well."

Elena pauses from brushing her teeth and mumbles out something incoherent. Stefan goes on.

"What I'm wondering is why she would go through that trouble. She could've easily run away, yet she didn't; instead she gave away something…something important."

"And then?"

"Well, she more or less 'woke up'; as if she was in a daze that cleared and she immediately went on guard, asking what happened and who else is living in the house. She even threw me into a wall and then went through all the rooms in the house." Elena clearly hears the frown in his voice.

Elena's eyes widen. "Wait, Angela!"

"Bella told me to text her to stay at Bonnie's last night, remember?"

"But her stuff…," Elena trails off.

"Still in Bella's car. And Angela took her bag with her yesterday morning and the bed was made, so nothing to point her out."

"And Bella's stuff?"

"Nothing out of place in Damon's room and Katherine didn't see anything to alert her of anything amiss. When I went later to check his room and closet, I found Bella's clothes placed strategically out of eye sight."

"Like?"

"As in her shirts hung on hangers underneath his shirts, and her clothes in the drawers were folded into his, so even if Katherine dug through the clothes, she wouldn't find anything but Damon's possessions unless she was specifically looking for Bella's stuff in his room, like I was."

"Huh."

Stefan hums lightly in response.

"So then what happened? When did she leave? She left, right?"

"She left immediately after that. I didn't bother stopping her," he states, his voice a little low.

Elena frowns. The feeling's back; that one feeling where it seems like the heart has dropped to the stomach, lurching your entire insides down with it, as if weight's severely put on top. That feeling of something being wrong, the feeling of not knowing everything, the feeling that hints that something is being held back.

"That's it?"

He only hums in response.

Making her way back to her room, she glances at the clock. "Shit, it's past noon! I have to help Jenna with preparations for tonight's dinner."

Stefan lets out a small laugh. "Dinner's going to be interesting. I wish I was there to see it."

"Why can't you be here?" She pouts.

"I have to talk to Angela before teaching Caroline how to hunt."

"But weren't you helping Caroline yesterday?"

"I was, until she saw Tyler's party and wanted to talk to Matt. Since it's better for her to have as much connection as possible to humanity in order to retain hers, I thought it would be alright for a few minutes. I let her stay until you called and by the time we hung up, she was nowhere in sight."

"Oh?"

"She left with Matt to go deeper into the woods. And by the time I found her, night was setting. Meaning the wolf was out and about."

"What _did_ happen with you and Bella last night?" Elena asks curiously.

"I found Caroline at the same time the werewolf did. I'm assuming it was Mason. Caroline was able to get Matt away while I distracted it."

Elena winces as the images of a battered and bitten Stefan come to mind..._had Bella not come to his rescue_, she comforts herself.

"He attacked and I tried my best to keep clear of his mouth, but he was vicious…starved. Bella found me and helped drive the wolf away before screaming at me about the worst time for stupidity."

"Um, was that after you gave her your shirt to wear or…?" she fidgets.

Stefan pauses. "Before. She forgot about having no clothes on and when she did look down at herself, she scrambled for cover," he hastily added.

"Oh." Elena suddenly feels discomfort set upon her.

"I'll let you go get ready and help Jenna," he offers.

"Okay. Bye, Stefan. I love you."

"I love you, too."

_Did Bella know Katherine would look around the house or was she just prepared for it in any case? Or was it just laziness stopping her from carrying Angela's stuff into the house? What is it that Stefan's not telling me? Damo-No, no thoughts of Damon, _she commands.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Why did I host this dinner again?" Jenna asks Elena, exasperated.

"You wanted to see if Alaric was lying," Elena replies.

"I still don't believe Damon's dating anyone," Jenna mutters to Elena, stirring the pasta sauce on the stove.

Elena bites her lip. "Why not?"

"Well, because it's Damon. And he'd never treat a girl right for her to even stick around."

Elena resists a comment to defend Damon. _Why would I defend him? Jenna's right…Damon's killed so many innocent people, played with them to the point of destruction for them, wreaks havoc where he goes, made Stefan's life miserable…but then he's loyal, he's supportive, and he cares deep down. Every time he does something bad, he makes up for it in an off-handed manner. It's just how he is._

Elena shakes her head free of thoughts and makes a promise to herself to not think about Damon all night. Shouldn't be hard…he's only here for dinner, and who knows how long after that after all.

She smiles politely to Alaric and Mason, who are each holding a bottle of beer, as they step inside. "Enjoyed the garden?"

"Definitely. I love what you've done with the place," Mason compliments.

"Oh, it was all Jenna."

"Hmm?" Jenna looks up.

"So now you're a garden designer? Long shot from the party-Jenna I know from high school," Mason teases.

"Hey, it's a good way to keep mind off of things. I no longer have you to hit to get out my stress."

Alaric inclines his head towards the back door to Elena.

They both step out into the cool, fresh air, leaving the bickering buddies to catch up. Elena glances at the twinkling blue lights adorned above the patio net roof and a hint of a real smile touches briefly on her face.

"Damon wants to prove Mason's a werewolf," Alaric whispers to her without turning his frame towards her.

"How?"

"Vanessa gave me wolfsbane," he replies, holding up a ziplock bag with something resembling woodchips.

"That's wolfsbane?" Elena asks, eyebrows raised.

"Yes. It's pristine'd and dried up to the point that the poison won't be harmful to those who touch it, unless the person is a wolf. Sort of like vervain for vampires."

"And Damon's going to what? Put it in his food?"

Alaric shrugs. He's about to answer when the doorbell rings. "He can tell you himself."

They both go back to the kitchen and the two new occupants.

"Hi, Elena, Alaric," Bella greets them warmly.

Damon just nods at them both. Elena frowns momentarily when she notices his arm around Bella, his fingers alternating between drumming on her hipbone and playing with the loose sequined brown belt hanging just below her waist. Elena feels underdressed in her jeans and shirt next to Jenna's black dress and Bella's beige sleeveless evening dress.

"So, I'm making pasta, but so far, it's a bit of a fail. There's something missing." Jenna sulks next to her, downing a shot of tequila.

Bella puts down a bottle of wine on the ground table before beaming up at Damon. "Did you know, Jenna, that Damon makes amazing pasta? He can go tend to it while we talk. Come sit."

Mason snickers quietly into his beer but pulls out a chair beside him for Bella nonetheless. Alaric follows with the same action for Elena and Jenna. Damon hangs his head a bit; he leans in close to whisper to Bella before moving obediently to the stove. Elena turns back to the conversation around the table.

"How do you know Bella?" Jenna asks Mason.

"We met in Alaska," he grins.

Jenna raises her eyebrows. "You, and in Alaska? Did you abandon finding the perfect wave with a surfboard to find a perfect wave with a snowboard?"

"No, I was just…running." Mason shares a small, secretive smile with Bella.

"How long ago?"

"Three, four years."

"How old were you then, Bella?" Jenna asks innocently.

"I was 18."

"So you're 22 now?"

"21," Bella replies.

"You shouldn't ask a lady her age, Jenna," Damon quips up.

"I don't mind," Bella assures.

"What were you doing in Alaska?"

_She's relentless_, Elena thinks.

"I—"

"Jenna, you never formally introduced us," Damon interrupts.

"Damon Salvatore," Jenna points to Damon, and then to Mason, "Mason Lockwood."

"How long have you two been together, Bella? You never mentioned seeing anyone," Mason comments slyly.

"You didn't keep in contact for me to inform you," she quips.

"You didn't answer."

"We've been dating for two weeks," Damon answers.

"Two weeks? That's it?" Mason questions.

"Yes, that's it," Damon finalizes.

"Where are you staying, Bella?" Jenna asks.

Alaric slaps his hand to his forehead before mimicking hanging himself from his seat behind Jenna. Bella stifles a giggle.

"I'm staying at the Salvatore house."

Jenna gapes at her.

"You're with him two weeks and you're staying at his house?"

"In my room, too," Damon smirks at Bella.

"What?" Mason asks, a frown evident in his expression, disapproval clear in his voice.

Bella shrugs. "He had me move here from London. I wasn't going to buy a house."

"London?" Alaric and Jenna repeat simultaneously.

"I was in London for the past two years," she adds innocently.

"You don't have an accent," Jenna nearly accuses.

Bella clears her throat and then replies in a clear, heavy British accent. "I try to keep the accent out, as it attracts too much unwanted attention."

A noise from near the stove startles them and they turn to see a wide-eyed Damon looking intently at Bella. There is lingering traces of sauce on his shirt as he absent mindedly rubs at it with the towel in his hand. He clears his throat before turning to lift the sauce covered spatula out of the deep pan to wash the handle and then re-use.

"So you two met in London?" Alaric asks, amused.

"Yes."

"When were you in London?" Jenna turns to Damon.

"Remember I left for a few days before the Founder's Day parade? I was in London, settling some business," he states nonchalantly.

"We met in a Tango class actually," Bella says, grinning wide at Damon.

Jenna chokes on her Tequila. Elena pats her on the back lightly and tries to get her to slow down on the alcohol intake.

"Tango class? And Damon?" Alaric asks with his eyebrows raised.

"He's quite good, actually," Bella sings. Damon gives her a look.

"Yes, Tango class," he relents with a sarcastic smile.

"You moved to America for someone you just met?" Jenna asks Bella incredulously.

"Well, when you know, you just know," Bella says, winking at Damon.

Mason chokes on his sip of beer. Bella pats him on the back, keeping her lips tightly pressed to keep her amusement at bay.

"When's the wedding?" Elena finds her tongue, and prompts a reply from them sarcastically.

"No wedding. I don't believe in them," Damon declares, coming around to the table with a small bowl and a spoon.

"You don't believe in marriage?" Alaric repeats.

"No," Damon states, stepping close to Bella. He lifts the spoon with the dark reddish marinara sauce on it, blowing quickly to cool it down a bit before prompting Bella to open her mouth by putting the edge of the spoon on her lips. "I've lost hope in it after the amount of failed marriages or marriages of conveniences I've seen." Bella raises an eyebrow but opens her mouth nonetheless as Damon continues, "I no longer see marriage as something holy, something sacred. People use it as a symbol of love, which is fine if they understood love." He tips the spoon back and as Bella closes her lips around the end of the curve, he pulls the solid silver back slowly, keeping his eyes trained on hers. "Divorces happen, people re-marry. I'm not the type to show others who I love nor will I want a marriage just to prove it. Marriage is just a symbol to show others. As long as the one I love knows it, I'm content." He swipes his thumb to catch the small amount of sauce on the side of Bella's lips, before sucking the sauce from his thumb, moving back.

Bella gives him a gentle smile as he moves back to the stove, before turning back to the astonished audience. Jenna's mouth is open, Alaric's eyes are wide, and Mason is gaping at Bella. Jenna downs another shot of tequila.

And Elena…Elena's heart is racing and her breathing is slightly labored. The way Damon looked at Bella and the words he said meant he loves her? No, no, that can't be it. He doesn't love people just like that…besides, Bella's too nice for him. They're the same yet the exact opposite. He wouldn't fall in love with her within just a week or so. No, it's an act they're putting up for Jenna to save Alaric.

Bella clears her throat. "So…shall we break open the wine bottle? It's Domaine Leflaive Montrachet Grand Cru."

Damon groans. "Goddammit, Isabella! No more accents or French. Please."

She smirks at him. He rolls his eyes before turning to Jenna.

"Sauce is done. Just pour it on the pasta," he commands, setting up five shot glasses.

"I'm not going to drink," Elena tells him softly.

"Please. Jenna already knows what high school parties are like. She won't mind. Besides, she's still tipsy from all that alcohol she's had."

Elena rolls her eyes but gets the lemon wedges and salt anyway, standing next to Bella instead of Jenna.

Damon slips in between the two, his arm immediately going around Bella's waist to pull her closer to him. He leans down a bit to brush his lips across her cheek lightly before his lips make way to her ear, whispering something softly.

Elena bites the inside of her cheek and concentrates instead on the five glasses making a circle on the table. She twindles her thumbs to keep her thoughts away from the two people next to her. She shouldn't feel this way; there's no reason for her to feel this way. _I have Stefan. I love Stefan. Only Stefan. Stefan, Stefan, Stefan_, she chants in her mind.

They all grab a shot and a lemon wedge but before they can raise a toast, the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it," Elena states, puting down the shot and scuffling out of the suddenly uncomfortable kitchen.

She opens the door and glances at the visitor in contempt. "What're _you_ doing here?"

.

.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you for reading.<em>

**_Important; please read_: I don't mind criticism. I don't mind if people hate my story. I recently received three PMs from the same person screaming at me, in short that this story sucks, I suck, and I have no business on FanfictionNet. I don't mind those PMs as long as you tell me what I'm doing wrong or how I can improve. The messenger also screamed at me for giving them a preview because they did not want one. I'm not sure what to do about that. Should I send it to those who request it or cease sending previews all the same?**

_Would you like an outtake? Perhaps Stefan's and Bella's encounter with wolf-Mason. Or Caroline's and Stefan's day. Or Angela's and Bonnie's time together. OR Damon's take on this dinner. What's going through his mind as he does these little actions and acts so tenderly, the way no on expects? Majority votes in reviews will tell. _

**On another note, I have a Facebook page especially for Fanfiction where I'll be posting dialogues from this story as teasers. You can look me up through [**_Corrupt Subduction_**] or click on the link on my profile. I loved chatting with those who already added me!**

_Reviewers will get something special! Can we make it to 200 reviews?_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-readers, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_** and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**, for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>**Hint** A very fitting song for BellaxDamon's future relationship: <em>Breathe _by Breaking Benjamin._

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

With Jenna's mind firmly off of Bella's involvement with Alaric, she starts reminiscing to her High School years spent with Mason.

"So she started swearing up and down when she found out Logan had been using her tweezers for his underarm hairs!" Mason laughs, slapping a hand on the table, shaking the empty beer bottles.

Jenna snorts. "It was gross! I used those on my face and he…." She scrunches up her nose in disgust.

"You two were best friends?" Alaric asks them, chuckling.

"The best. Like Ying and Yang," he agrees.

"When I could get past the long line of admirers. He was quite the catch," Jenna adds.

"Really?" Damon quips in. "The way Sheriff Forbes talked about you, I pegged you for a lone wolf."

"Ahh, I'm sure I don't match up to you from the way the town talks. I hear you're quite the lady killer," Mason winks, causing Damon to give him a sarcastic smile.

Bella stifles a snicker, and instead drains her wine glass.

"Here; let me." Damon takes her glass and fills it up again.

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Mr. Salvatore?" she prompts with a grin.

"Everything's more fun with alcohol, don't you agree?" He gives her a killer smile, his eyes briefly narrowed. In one hand, he holds a beer bottle, and in the other, wolfsbane. Every time he had tried to drop some into Mason's drink, Bella somehow stopped him. _Maybe getting her drunk would help…_

His action catches Jenna's attention again.

"Have you gone to College, Bella?"

"Yes."

"Did you quit to come here?" she asks in an almost patronizing tone. Elena gives Bella an apologetic glance.

"Actually, I've graduated already."

"From where?"

"England," Bella answers dejectedly, hoping to end the conversation there.

"I meant which University?"

"From Oxford University."

"Impressive," Alaric raises his glass and shoots her a grin, quickly covering up his expression before Jenna can notice.

"With what degree?"

"I was Pre-med. Majored in Chemistry and minored in Media Literacy."

Jenna opens her mouth to respond but is interrupted.

"Hey, guys!" a perky voice squeals behind them.

They all turn to see a very enthusiastic Caroline waving rapidly at them, while Elena looks dejected.

"Caroline," Jenna welcomes warmly. Greetings resound from around the table and Damon raises his eyebrows when he sees Caroline's glare fixated on Bella.

"I hope you don't mind me crashing. Stefan said he had to meet up with someone and my mom was busy at the station and I just didn't want to be alone at home," Caroline informs, gathering her blond curls to one side of her shoulder, pulling up a chair beside Damon.

Elena sits between Caroline and Jenna, and shoots a strange look to Damon at Caroline's behavior.

Dinner continues in an awkward manner. A drunken Jenna compliments on Damon's pasta skills before exclaiming about his asshole-ish tendencies to Mason, who merely chuckles in response. Alaric spends a majority of his time staring at Damon with raised eyebrows and trying to keep Jenna upright in his chair. Bella seems to be swaying a bit in her seat as if drunk but otherwise, carries on a conversation about Media Literacy with Elena, leaving Damon to Caroline's advances.

"Well, that was fun," Jenna declares, unable to stand up straight without grabbing a hold of the banister.

"I'm going to go put her to bed," Alaric announces, supporting Jenna and prompting her up the stairs.

"I'm not ready for the night to end," Caroline says, a pout on her face.

"Should we go somewhere else?" Damon offers, desperately wanting his theory on Mason being a werewolf to be proven right.

"The Grill?" Mason asks, sharing a wordless glance with Bella.

"Should you be driving?" Elena asks him in turn.

"I'll be fine. I'm a heavy weight," he responds with a boyish grin.

"We'll see you there," Damon says, pulling a silent Bella with him by her elbow, his grip bruising tight.

His hold on her doesn't cease until he approaches his Chevy Camaro. He steers her towards the passenger seat, and she doesn't fight him. He spins her around roughly, immediately gaining in on her, pressing her back against his car.

"What the fuck was that, Isabella?" he hisses.

"You listen to me, Damon Salvatore. Leave Mason alone. He's done no harm to you," she scowls.

"He tried to kill Stefan!"

"He had no control over himself!"

"But you do!" he growls.

"He and I are different species!"

They drift closer together. Their breaths mingle as the exhaled air turns white in the crisp of night. His eyes flicker all over her face; from her eyes to her lips and then back, rinse and repeat, again and again.

He lifts his right hand, whether to trap her between his arm or to touch her. Or maybe he wants to smooth out her brows, which are pulled together, and nudge up the sides of her lips. Her smiles are prettier than her frowns. Maybe he wants to push back the loose tendrils towards the side-bangs that have escaped her messy bun.

"What are you guys still doing here?" Elena's voice rings out clear, interrupting and startling them but not enough to move apart.

"Nothing. What're you doing?" Damon asks after turning to look at Elena, glancing pointedly at the car keys in her hand.

Bella turns her face away from them.

"We're going to go meet Stefan instead of going to The Grill. He hasn't been answering his cell phone. He's not with Angela or Bonnie either."

"We?"

"I'm going with her," Caroline informs, peeking out of Elena's car and giving Damon a three-finger fluttering wave.

Damon wraps an arm around Bella as if to hug her, but flattens his hand on the small of her back instead, giving her a push towards Elena. "Take her with you."

Bella glares at Damon and gives him a warning glance.

"Why?" Caroline sneers .

"Because I said so. Go."

"Remember what I said, Damon," Bella whispers to him before smiling and grabbing Elena's arm, leading her to the vehicle.

Caroline huffs and gently thumps her head on the passenger seat head rest repeatedly. _This is going to be a lot harder now…or it could be easier…two birds with one stone, _she thinks.

The doors are shut and the car moves away from the curb. Elena releases a deep breath, her fingers drumming impatiently on the steering wheel. _Why wasn't Stefan picking up his phone? Especially since he didn't have anything to do with Bonnie or Caroline?_ She sighs and concentrates on the road.

Elena's lips uplift unintentionally as a soft humming reaches her ears. She looks back to give Bella a small smile, who in turn squeezes her shoulder affectionately.

"Don't worry; he must've dozed off or something," Bella murmurs.

"Or something," Caroline snorts.

Elena turns a question eye to her.

"Maybe he just wanted some time alone," she adds.

"Alone?"

"Well, as vampires, we start appreciating moments of solitude when it really isn't available otherwise. Our hearing abilities keep us from truly being alone, until those rare moments where we can just get lost in our own mind," Caroline clarifies.

"I wouldn't step into his personal space. Do I?" Elena directs the question weakly to Bella.

Bella simply shakes her head in negative, watching Caroline with wary eyes.

"You would be if he wanted to be left alone today…," Caroline trails off, wrapping a blonde curl around her finger. "I mean, I'm not calling you clingy. Your heartbeat alone is loud to our ears, and there's always that pulsing vein in your neck, and we can hear the blood rushing under your skin. It's just Stefan's always so brooding; maybe it's because of his thirst around you."

"Around me?"

"The desire to bite into your vein is always there, believe me. That's why I had to break up with Matt."

"Or maybe because you didn't have enough control when you're with him," Bella interrupts coldly.

Caroline's jaw visibly tightens. "I am a newborn vampire. What else can you expect?"

"I expected nothing from you, but I didn't think you'd lose all emotions and instead pester someone you call a friend just because of your failed relationship," Bella answers calmly.

"I'm trying to be a friend! That's why I'm telling her this!"

"You're hurting her."

"The her is right here," Elena butts in.

Caroline grabs her wrist. "I'm trying to be your friend. I miss being human! I'm never going to age with you or Bonnie or Matt and every other human! I'm never going to have kids, Elena. Would you give that up? And if not, are you willing to stay with Stefan even if he's this hot teenager and you're all wrinkly and everybody calls you his grandmother?"

"Caroline, Caroline, you're hurting me. Ouch!" Elena yelps.

Within seconds, Bella has Caroline's wrist in her own hand, ripped away from Elena.

"Watch it, Caroline," she warns.

Caroline crosses her arms over her chest, leaning back with a frown on her face. "Sorry, Elena," she mutters softly, genuinely. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Elena doesn't say anything; she's too lost in her thoughts. She doesn't want to become a vampire, but that's okay right now. What about from ten years from now when people start calling her a 'Cougar'? What about twenty years from now? _That's to say that Stefan even wants to stay with you that long_, a voice whispers in her head.

The car is dead silent as Elena continues to drive towards the Salvatore house.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Where's Bella?" Mason questions, inclining towards the empty car as Damon locks up.

"She decided to go with the girls to my house. Sleepovers, girly stuff, you know," he smiles wide.

They make their way into The Grill, finding seats by the bar, and both ordering a glass of scotch, neat.

"So what has Sheriff Forbes been telling everyone about me?" Mason asks, trying to start a conversation.

"Oh, nothing bad. Just that you're trying to find the perfect wave, don't believe in the Town's myths or the Founder's Council. Stuff like that," Damon responds with a smirk, his eyes widening momentarily in mischief.

"No offense. I know you're a member."

"None taken. Do you play pool?" Damon inclines his chin towards the back of the Grill, prompting Mason to turn 180. He quickly drops some wolfsbane into Mason's drink and smiles innocently when Mason turns back around.

"I haven't played in a long time. Up for a game?" Mason raises his eyebrows.

"How much money for the pool?" Damon downs his scotch, leaving behind some money, and gets off of the stool. "Drinks are on me."

"How about instead we play 20 questions? Whoever makes the billiard ball gets to ask the questions," Mason offers, following Damon.

"You're not going to finish your drink?"

"No. I'm not in a particular mood for wolfsbane tonight."

Damon hides his surprise well, grabbing a cue stick.

"Break?" Mason offers.

Damon smirks. He bends at the hips, leaning over the table, the cue stick expertly maneuvered to hit the cue ball. He strikes, and a stripped ball makes its way into a pocket.

"Stripes. How did you know wolfsbane was in your drink?"

"Can't you smell vervain? You reek of wolfsbane."

Damon strikes another ball into a pocket. "How do you know I'm a vampire?"

"My brother called me to take care of you and Stefan. He didn't want to get his hands dirty, especially because he knew the Sheriff wouldn't believe him."

Damon smirks in self-satisfaction at the information and as two billiard balls make their way into the pockets. "Why haven't you tried to kill us yet? Still planning?"

"Bella stopped me."

Another ball. "How do you know her?"

"I met her in Alaska."

"Elaborate."

"She helped me when I started changing into a wolf during the full moon. She kept a watch on me, brought me clothes, and kept me away from people."

Another ball. "How?"

"By fighting against me. Regardless of any harm that went to her, she didn't let me out of her sight or in the presence of a human."

Another ball. "And vampire?"

"Never."

"Why?"

"She didn't want me to regret it."

Damon misses on his next strike, and gives Mason his turn.

Mason gets into position and strikes, with two solid balls going into the pockets. "How do you know Bella?"

"She demanded a room in my house. And hasn't left since."

"Sounds like her," Mason grins. Another ball. "How did you find out about wolves?"

"Research."

"You don't seem like the type to believe in just simple research."

"Doesn't mean I don't give it the benefit of doubt until its proven right."

"And me? How'd you make the connection?"

"My brother saw you running."

"Bella always told me I was never careful i—" A beeping sound from the pocket of his jeans interrupts Mason. "Excuse me," he mumbles, getting out his phone and frowning.

"Something wrong?" Damon prompts.

"It's Bella. She says she needs you to get to her now. Pronto. Big emergency."

"Where is she?"

"Your house."

Mason grabs a hold of both the cue sticks, hurriedly puts them in their place, and steps out of The Grill just in time to see Damon run towards the forest, and then blur as soon as he's out of sight.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Caroline wraps a shawl around Elena's shaking shoulders, steering her towards the couch. Elena sits down beside Caroline, but her eyes are trained on Stefan's still form in front of the fireplace. His shirt lays in ripped shreds beside him as Bella blurs back and forth, gathering blood bags and trying to reach Angela. Elena's mind briefly wonders how she should help before her eyes find Stefan's body, and a fresh wave of tears start.

Caroline rubs a soothing, cold hand over Elena's shoulder, but it hardly does any help. Elena shrugs off her hand, as she angrily wipes at the tears, her mind going back to the conversation in the car. _How could she say all that to me?_ Two answers ring out through her mind. _Manipulation or jealousy._

The front door opens with a bang, and a figure blurs in front of her, kneeling. Damon's baby blue eyes travel all over her face as if to check for injuries.

"Are you _okay_?" he asks calmly.

Elena nods to him, her bottom lip quivering.

"Stefan's not," Caroline whispers softly.

Damon's icy eyes follow Caroline's line of vision, and his head jerks towards his brother's shape.

His eyes widen as small parts of Stefan's flesh begin to burn off, oozing blood, red, compressed drops dripping onto the wooden mahogony floor beneath him. Small _drip, drip, drip_ sounds ring around the room when the thick drops of blood meet the floor.

"Where's Bella?" he asks reverently, blurring to his sibling's side.

Elena's throat closes up as emotions overcome her. She shakes her head, she opens her mouth to get the words out, but no sound emerges. Her breathing picks up, her chest heaving. She wraps her arms around herself. Her throat closes up further as she finds it harder and harder to take air in, and then Caroline's cool hands wander all over her face and neck, pressing lightly, and she's suddenly able to breathe, as if being pulled out of water and being exposed to oxygen once again. Her relief is short-lived as her eyes find Stefan's pale and bloody body and a new wave of hysteria washes over her. _So this is what complete helplessness feels like. _

"Where's Bella?" Damon snaps at Caroline.

"Right here," Bella leans down besides Damon, with blood soaked towels in her hand.

"What's happening?" Damon whispers, reaching his hands towards Stefan's body but not touching him, as if not knowing where to touch him. As if afraid.

His panicked eyes look up, urgent to find Bella's emerald ones, pleading her, whether for information, to save his brother, or for comfort. She lays blood soaked towels on Stefan's bloodied skin, and then turns him around gently to lay on his back. Her eyes calmly meet Damon's but they reveal nothing. There's no light, no spark, no crinkling around her eyes that displays her joy visible to his frantic sight. He's never been more desperate to find a way to get behind the workings of her mind to find her thoughts.

"His body is filled with vervain."

"What?" he asks in a mixture of disbelief and confusion.

"Someone put vervain into him. Too much."

"But vervain doesn't kill a vampire," Damon grasps at the straws in desperation for hope.

"When a vampire is put into vervain filled water, his skin begins melting off, and if he's left in there too long, he'll eventually die," she tells him, laying another bloodied towel over Stefan's front torso. "And when a vampire digests vervain, his inner organs begin to melt away. That's what's happening right now to Stefan. Thankfully the vervain has yet to reach his heart, but it's getting there slowly."

"How do I fix this? What can I do?"

"Angela's almost home. When she gets here, I'll tell you what you have to do."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

His fingers touch the cool, smooth surface of the milky-colored oval stone. He's not proud of the steps he's taken to acquire such a powerful gemstone but he'd do anything for _her_. _She's_ everything to him.

Besides, it wasn't as if his brother's wife ever loved his brother and was really grieving. It had been so easy. A flirty comment here and there, with small touches, and showering attention, and she'd only been too willing to give him the code.

He'd immediately gone to his deceased brother's office and had opened the safe under the floorboards, retrieving the oval moonstone.

Now he just needs to keep it safe from prying hands. He's certain the Salvatore brothers don't know anything about it nor the true means of it. If he's to make a wild guess, it's even more indisputable that the brothers even _know_ about the moonstone. And he would prefer it that way. Weaknesses shouldn't be shown to those who cannot be trusted. And he'd protect the one person the moonstone in the wrong hands would destroy. For _her_ sake, he'd make sure it was put in a place that only _she'd_ be able to retrieve it, and no one else.

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>Who do you think is the 'she'? <strong>

_Your response to the last chapter was amazing! 41 reviews for one chapter; it's a record for this story! Thank you to those who recommended this story in their chapters!_

**On another note, I have a Facebook page especially for Fanfiction where I'll be posting dialogues from this story as teasers. You can look me up through [**_Corrupt Subduction_**] or click on the link on my profile. I loved chatting with those who already added me!**

_Reviewers will get something special as always! Can we make it to 235 reviews?_


	9. Nightly Musings

_Disclaimer: Twilight and Vampire Diaries belong to their respective owners._

**Thanks to my pre-readers, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_** and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**, for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.**

_The following is in italics on purpose. You'll understand with the next chapter._

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

1st Night:

_She's grinning at me, from the left side of the bed. _My side_. First she took over my favorite chair and now my favorite side. I scowl at her, but the action only causes her smile to widen. I purposely put some strength into my steps as if to stomp childishly, moving to lay on the right side of my bed, and mockingly huff, pulling the comforter over the lower half of my body._

_I'd opted to go without a shirt. I'm a man and I notice things. Things like those full lips and the soft curves all in the right places. Can't be blamed for trying._

_She pokes me in the arm and I shrug it off._

_"Are you pouting?" she asks me, amusement clear in her voice._

_When I don't respond, she sighs dramatically and moves over me, her soft skin brushing against my arm, to the edge of the right side, and stares._

_"You can have your side back," she murmurs. Her breath caresses my face in a soft touch and I momentarily still, staring at her._

_"Damon," she whispers, "If you don't move, I'm going to fall off the bed."_

_I snap out of it and move to _my_ side of the bed happily._

_Somewhere around the middle of the night, I wake up to discover that Isabella's a cuddler. Then I promptly find out she's not a damn cuddler, she's a burrower, and she presses against my side more and more until I'm at the very edge of my own bed before she just ends up with her head on my chest and her leg thrown over mine. A self-satisfied smirk tugs at my lips just before annoyance seeps through as I realize how hard it'll be to go to sleep now._

_._

_._

* * *

><p><em>.<em>

_._

2nd Night:

_Katherine's back. Back to Mystic Falls. And she had kissed me earlier this evening. The amber liquid in my glass swirls as I move the cup in small circles. If I leave the liquid to still, I can almost see my blue eyes clearly reflecting off of it._

_If Katherine's arrival has left conflicting feelings, what Isabella said earlier is almost enough to give me a headache._

_She'd told me earlier that I didn't love Elena. Could it be true? I've spent 145 years after Katherine and now that I find out she never loved me, is it possible to project that love onto someone else?_

_I can't decide._

_My thoughts move from Katherine to Elena to Isabella within a second's time frame. She can read minds, and can probably see the future, she's powerful, and she's a complete stranger; so why don't I feel the need to distance myself from her? Instead of keeping a cautious eye on her, I want to talk to her. Perhaps it's because she's the first person who hasn't gotten offended by me, or maybe it's her eyes. Her emerald eyes sparkle with mischief but there's _something_ underneath that, _something_ that makes me want to frown. Something familiar. _

_When I look into my glass, I see the same _thing_ staring back at me from deep within my own eyes. She's a stranger, but she's not. She's different, but she's so familiar...my own stranger. _

_._

_._

* * *

><p><em>.<em>

_._

3rd Night_:_

_Killing is a good way to release anger. Snapping Jeremy's neck didn't do the trick, however._

_Stefan had turned off his emotions during his ripper years because he didn't want to be a vampire. Katherine's compulsion had worn off of him and he'd _fooled_ himself into believing his love for her was also forced. I turn off my emotions to get away from the pain. I wanted to be with her for eternity, I loved her with _everything_ I was, yet it wasn't enough. The years passed along faster when I could lose myself in women and alcohol._

_Jealousy...anger... loneliness...they can have such a hold over us._

_Emotions are a barrier. With vampirism, _all_ emotions are heightened and so is our humanity. It hurts more; the guilt, the pain, the remorse is multiplied by hundreds during the kills. Turning off emotions makes it easier, but it doesn't all go away._

_I've known only two kinds of relationships: love and sexual, but neither at the same time. Looking at the past years, I've kept sexual relationships with those whom I know I cannot fall in love with, and I've loved those that I cannot fully call mine. Perhaps that's the appeal and the ease in loving Elena._

_Father had always favored Stefan over me. Stefan's better and Stefan's the ideal son. He's always been put on a pedestal, and I don't mind. I _don't_ want to be the hero, because I know I'll fall and fail._

_Perhaps I pursued Katherine because I already knew she was with Stefan, and I wanted some sort of revenge. Or maybe Father's words had gotten to me, that I was unworthy whereas Stefan deserved more, so I chose to love Katherine knowing she wouldn't be able to hurt me...knowing she wasn't truly mine, because I didn't deserve her._

_I could care less about what Father did. I'd put all that behind me when I first saw Katherine. But her words..."It was always Stefan"...just brought it all to the surface once again. That and the loss of trust in _one_ person I loved, I trusted: Stefan._

_._

_._

* * *

><p><em>.<em>

_._

Day 4:

_Stefan's never known the feeling of rejection, but Isabella has. The person who was supposed to love her turned against her. The person who she was supposed to trust led her down the path to die._

_For the first time, I can relate to someone._

_We've both felt the worthlessness that comes with rejection from those closest to us, and we've both felt the betrayal._

_And once again, for the first time, I want to voluntarily touch someone...without the intend of taking her. I grab her hand, longing for a touch, offering comfort and not pity._

_._

_._

* * *

><p><em>.<em>

_._

5th Night:

_I've let her have my side of the bed. At least she won't dig into the side of my body and wake me up in the middle of the night._

_For the first time since I can remember, someone defended me. Isabella did. I've never defended myself against accusations, may they be right or wrong. If I did do something wrong, there's nothing for anyone to defend. And if the accusations are wrong, then I shouldn't have to defend myself. The person who doesn't understand doesn't _deserve_ the time to be corrected. They'd have to learn and grovel for forgiveness. Why is it so easy to pin the blame on me? Perhaps my cloak of cynicism is too __thick__ and __heavy._

_Caroline's a vampire. As if we didn't have enough on our plate already with Katherine's manipulative little distractions._

_She's definitely up to something. The fleeting thought__ of__ her wanting to rid Mystic Falls of Stefan and me passes through my mind but it's something more than that. She wouldn't come back here after the trouble she went through to convince others she'd perished in the fire. She's back for something, but she won't be able to get it. I'll see to it._

_._

_._

* * *

><p><em>.<em>

_._

6th Night:

_She's rejuvenated. I think. To take my mind off of Elena and the doomed conversation on her doorstep, Isabella starts questioning me about the abilities I've acquired over the years as we walk in the woods._

_I tell her about being able to transform into a crow and she decides to annoy me by calling me a 'were-crow'. I put an end to that by turning into my _'were-crow'_ and pecking her on her arms, legs, any surface available. She squeals with laughter before running a sole finger down the length of my back, causing a shiver of pleasure to roll down my spine. Needless to say, it doesn't take long before I'm back featherless and on my own two feet._

_The sight of her standing in my shirt brings up this warm feeling in the pit of my stomach. I've never felt that before. And when she bites the side of bottom lip, my eyes lock on the pouty pink flesh, and before I know it, I've lifted my hand to tug the lip free of her soft torture. The tips of my fingertips warm up as if put on fire and I flex my entire hand to rid of that pleasant, yet so unfamiliar feeling. _

_I show her what I can do with the fog. It makes me miss the times when I used the fog not only to hide myself from my victims, but also how I could play with their minds without compulsion; an inside joke to 'foggy' mind._

_I don't know how to thank her for saving Stefan, but I think she knows. She doesn't make me say anything but I can almost read the expression on her face; one that says, 'You're welcome.'_

_I question her about the earplugs. She's a vampire; she shouldn't have to listen to the music with volume turned up to the max. She explains that the day of the full moon feels different for her, that her vampire abilities have a side effect on that particular day. I listen curiously as she tells me that her speed and hearing abilities decrease to the level of a werewolf, and she's so used to the vampire-level that it feels odd. So to take away the feeling of loss of super hearing, she listens to music. _

_When she goes to sleep, I lay awake thinking. When I had first seen her injured and the wound not healing, I panicked. I'd lose the one person who I'd somehow let my guard down for. She's the one person who doesn't judge me, or blames me when things go awry. She understands my actions when even my own brother doesn't. _

_I don't do fear. Fear is for those who are afraid of death, of pain. I'm afraid of neither. I've experienced it both in bucketfuls. But what would have I done if Stefan got bitten today? Why should I even care? For all he believes, I'm only around to torement him. What is it about him that still makes me care? Maybe I still love him because he's my brother. Or because he's the polar opposite and someone I'll never be. Isn't there a saying that 'we love what we aren't'? Maybe that is it. _

_Even I know I'm deluding myself. _There's no bond like family. _I can't deny that's why I'd even become a vampire in the first place, why I followed him with the excuse of 'making his life miserable', even if I went through with it._

_Something changed today. And I think she knows it, too. _

_Those are my last thoughts as I long for the peace and solitude sleep will provide, my fingers trailing down the length of Isabella's arm unconsciously. _

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>*Twiddles thumbs* Soooo, I'm <em>really<em> nervous about this posting. I've always found Damon to be really damaged and jaded, not only from Katherine's never-present-love but also from his father's proclamations that Damon's worthless while Stefan's the ideal son-with Katherine's words only adding into the fuel of that worthlessness feeling...and then Stefan's behavior. In my opinion, Damon's the kind of person who's trying to turn off his humanity but doesn't succeed fully, thus the killings. He's the kind of person who does a really stupid and/or asshole-ish action, but then he makes up for it in an offhand gesture, or he tries to do something good (like helping Caroline for Elena's sake) but then all ends up going downhill, and the blame is put on him. No one acknowledges what he _really_ meant behind his actions. He covers up his hurt with his snark and sarcasm. He believes he doesn't deserve Elena even though Stefan's the ripper, who probably has had much more of a violent past. We see that in Season 3-Stefan absolutely rips apart the bodies and colors the town red in his ripper moments, yet Damon feels beneath that. And I tried to put all that into this update. I'm pretty sure I haven't done Damon justice, but hopefully it's not too bad.**

_Three chapters in one week. Show me some love by leaving me your thoughts? Reviewers get something special._


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-reader, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_**, for leaving me her thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>Follow me under and pull me apart<br>I understand, there's nothing left  
>Pain so familiar and close to the heart<br>No more, no less, I won't forget_

_Come back down, save yourself_  
><em>I can't find my way to you<em>  
><em>And I can't bear to face the truth<em>

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"It's just an electrical surge, Angela. You can do it," Bella soothes the shaking, nervous witch.

"But I've never done this before!"

"You'll be fine. It'll only be somewhere around 400 volts, nothing to harm him."

"But..."

"Look at me, Angela. Do you trust me?" Angela nods. "Then just concentrate on that power outlet and chant, _xorde en silencio_, five times. Lay just your fingertips on his chest, away from the heart, on my signal, okay? You can start chanting now. You'll feel some sharp current in your hands, but don't touch him until I tell you to. This is the only way he'll wake to digest the blood."

Angela closes her eyes, her mind on the power outlet, and starts to chant.

"I don't like this," Damon mutters softly.

"He's going to be fine," Bella says, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder and squeezing once.

"I'm talking about you. What you're about to do."

"It's necessary. I'll be fine." She shrugs.

He remains silent.

"Damon." Bella waits a beat. "As soon as he wakes, you need to start feeding him the blood."

Damon nods, his eyes fixated solely on his brother.

"But it's human blood," Elena states.

"It's either human blood or death," Damon snaps.

A displeased Bonnie stands with Elena with her arms across her chest, frowning.

Elena bites her bottom lip, her arms wrapping even tighter around herself as she looks on.

Caroline had already left, on Bonnie's insistence when the witch had noticed Elena's discomfort around the blonde vampire.

"Shh, he'll be fine," Bonnie comforts, running a warm, soothing palm over Elena's arm, hugging her close.

"You don't know that," is the only muttered response before both girls fall silent, watching a white wire burst forth from the electric outlet on the wall, wrapping itself around the three figures hunched over the still-form.

The white wire crackles every few seconds and stays strong, pulling in energy from the outlet. The fire in the fireplace burns strong, giving the white energy an eerie look of power.

Elena's heartbeat speeds up as Bella lowers her mouth to Stefan's left shoulder, immediate sinking her teeth in. She cringes but is resistant to her own need to look away, feeling Bonnie's finger dig into the skin of her shoulder. She watches as Stefan's already pale skin turns even whiter. The blood soaked towels turn a duller red until they're almost redish-pink. Even as Stefan's body absorbs the blood, his skin continues to go pasty white, almost translucent.

Without a sense of knowing how much time has passed, Elena digs her fingernails into her own hand as she sees Bella's body sag and pull away from Stefan's. Bella must've given Angela the signal, because the mousy brunette brings her fingertips to Stefan's upper torso and presses into his skin lightly. The white crackling wire around them suddenly jumps towards Stefan and presses itself into his body, making his upper frame lift off of the wooden floor before slapping down against it. Angela's fingers lift and the wire goes around the three figures again, so close to them yet not touching. The witch's fingertips once again press into Stefan and the wire moves to him, into him, and his eyes burst open, his mouth gasping for air.

One of Damon's hands curls itself around Stefan's neck to lift his head off the floor, and the other immediate tips the ripped open side of the blood bag into his mouth. Stefan coughs as if choking, but his eyes close a moment later, his face a picture of serenity, and his mouth suckles at the plastic opening, desperate for more.

Just as Stefan finishes with the fourth blood bag, his skin color starts returning to a lesser pale, Elena rushes to him, colliding with his body, and sending him onto his back.

"You had me scared to death," she mumbles against his chest.

"I'm fine," he murmurs against her head, letting her weight and warmth comfort him.

Damon moves back a little. Green eyes meet baby blue ones just before a small _thud_ resounds throughout the living room as Bella's unconscious body meets the floor.

Elena's breath hitches, and she extracts herself away from Stefan. With the exception of Bonnie, they all rush to the fainted vampire, including Stefan, who crawls in his still-weakened state. He grabs Bella's left hand immediately, without giving it a thought, and Elena grabs the other.

"She's cold."

"I told her I didn't like this," Damon mutters, his hand slipping around Bella's neck, supporting her head. He slides his hand further under her body and pulls her upper torso into his lap. His other hand moves towards his mouth as fangs extend, and he punctures a wound into his skin, bringing the open gash to Bella's mouth. "Come on, come on. Drink, Isabella. _Drink_," he whispers reverently. "Goddammit! She's not drinking." His desperate eyes find Angela's. "Can't you do something?"

Angela sputters vacantly from her place by Elena before dashing towards her bag, pulling out her thick grimoire.

Damon moves his hand from under Bella's head to her chin, his thumb moving in soft circle, as if coaxing her mouth to open, but her unconscious form doesn't obey. "Angela?" he questions, without looking away from Bella.

"I'm finding nothing," she whispers hoarsely.

Damon lets out a string of curses under his breath.

"What happened?" Stefan asks, his voice rough and uneven.

"Someone drugged you with vervain. Too much. She sucked it out," Damon replies in a monotone.

Stefan's eyes widen and his shoulders hunch forward.

Damon pulls his hands away, letting Elena wrap her arm around Bella's shoulder.

"Is she dead?" she asks in a small whisper, afraid of the answer.

"I don't know," Damon murmurs, sitting down. He bends his knees and leans forward, his elbows resting on each knee, and his posture admitting defeat. He hangs his head forward a little; eyes closed, and mouth frowning, his expression broken. "She doesn't have a heartbeat."

"She'll be fine," Elena whispers, her lips against Bella's cold temple. "She said she'll be fine."

Elena's heart pounds against her chest as the thought of Bella dead passes through her mind. The fleeting thought of not knowing the answers Bella holds over Elena's future disappears as she realizes she'll never have another person who understands her as Bella did, or someone she could relate to. Elena's gotten so used to seeing Bella everyday that the thought of walking into the Salvatore house and not seeing her brings with itself a feeling of strangeness, of dread. She feels bile rise up towards her throat but she swallows thickly, immediately pushing down anything trying to make its way out. She blinks rapidly to clear away the water forming in her eyes, making her vision blurry. _What will-_

Damon's head suddenly jerks towards Bonnie when she fidgets from one leg to another, and he snarls, "You _could_ help."

Elena looks desperately at her friend but Bonnie stands firm, shoulders braced, and shrugs. "I don't have my grimoire."

"Petty excu-" Damon's hands go to each side of his temple with a small yelp, as Bonnie concentrates on him with her eyes narrowed.

Bella's body begins to shake, small tumors passing through from her head to her toes, and just as Damon lets out a loud roar, one of Bella's hand moves on its own violation to make contact with Damon. As her hand connects with a part of his calf, her fingers curl around it, and his tense body sags, hands falling to the floor on each side.

Bonnie lets out a gasp as she concentrate harder, trying to give Damon a mental aneurysm, but failing. Her jaw tightens as she trains her gaze on Damon's form, narrowing her eyes, and chanting a spell under her breath. He wants her to help save the girl who insulted her? Briefly, Bonnie thinks of helping Angela, but remembers when Bella clearly told her that Angela would be the one to help Stefan, and the bottled up rage and humiliation burst forth.

Her nose starts to bleed but what makes her eyes widen is that the pain she wanted to inflict onto Damon had no effect on him, but rather, sharp needles started jabbing themselves into her own temple. She falls to her knees, her fingers pressed tightly to her temples, screeching.

She doesn't notice Angela's widened gaze on her, nor Elena's worried stare. Her head spins as the pain in her mind increases with each second, her hands trying to claw their way into her mind to stop it. Her eyes mush together tightly and just as another scream makes its way to her throat, she bites her lip, hard enough to draw blood, but remains silent otherwise.

"What on earth are you doing, child?" Sheila's scolding voice rings in her ears.

Bonnie lets her hands fall away from her head, wincing at the pain, but too desperate to seek out her grandma to care about the sharp jabs.

"Bonnie, I thought you were above this," Sheila's disappointed voice sounds in her mind, her image not visible to Bonnie's eyes.

"I'm just, gran'ma, you don't understand," she replies weakly.

"Oh but I do, child, I do. Bella had done right; you didn't know the spell that was needed for Stefan," her grandma explains softly.

"How do you know?" she chokes out.

"I've been watching over you. You didn't think I'd leave, did you? But you mustn't hurt Damon."

"Why?"

"The more you hurt Damon, the more you're hurting Bella, and in turn, Emily's spirit has a harder time giving her power."

"Why is Emily helping her?"

"It's a need, to keep the delicate balance of earth natural."

"What does she have to do with it? And how is Damon involved in this?"

"Connections, child, connections. When you form friendships, and when they are strengthened, bonds are formed and those cannot be broken without consequences. She's the key to everything, darling. To saving Elena, and to prevent the disturbance of nature. Remember what I've always taught you, Bonnie. You're stronger than submitting to your need of abolitionism of vampires." Sheila's voice fades towards the end of her statement, causing Bonnie to crumble to the floor, no longer in pain, but with a heartache just as strong as the night of her grandma's death. Her head pounds with lingering aftermath of the pain and she succumbs to her desire and allows her eyes to close, blacking out.

Angela rushes to her new friend, and reaches just in time to keep from Bonnie's head hitting the wooden floor. Stefan stands up, stumbling on his feet, and moves towards the girls, picking up Bonnie, and depositing her on the sofa.

"That was odd," he comments gently, before sitting back against the table.

"She'll be fine. She's just over-worked herself."

Angela exchanges a worried glance with him, then looks towards the other three, gasping when Bella's chest starts to rise and fall steadily.

Damon's eyes snap to Angela's and then steadily moves toward's Bella. Disbelief flickers across his face before he's hovering over her, his hands moving from her face to her neck, and then to just the top of her chest to check for a heartbeat, as if for reassurance other than just the sound, not trusting his own ears.

Elena sits gaping at the scene, Bella's right hand held tightly between her own two hands.

"She's alive," he breathes out.

Elena's eyes move from Bella to Bonnie and to Bella once again. The hand in her own hand moves just a tiny bit, the index and middle finger fidgeting, and before she knows it, she's grinning and crying at the same time as relief floods her body.

Stefan comes to sit by Elena, an arm wrapping around her shoulder, and Angela kneels by Bella's legs.

Bella's eyelashes flutter across her cheeks, just before her eyes open, revealing a pair of large, doe like brown eyes.

Elena lets out a mixture of a soft scream and a whimper before launching herself at the blinking woman, causing Damon to pull away.

"What's going on?" Bella asks in a rough, low voice.

Elena pulls back in confusion. "Well, you were dead. But you're not. But you were..."

Bella's brows pull together in the middle. She shakes her head and closes her eyes as if to riffle through the folders in her mind, trying to find one labeled, 'Early 2011: Vervain, poison, death, resurrection.'

"Oh!" she cries, her eyes once again opening. "Oh," she repeats, sheepishly this time, her shoulders moving up in a small shrug.

"_Oh_? Really, Isabella?" Damon scoffs. Then he turns an accusing finger at her. "You _lied_ to me."

"No, I didn't."

"Did too. I have witnesses," he scowls.

"I just didn't tell you everything."

"That's lying."

"It's keeping some information to yourself."

"But it's still lying by omission!" he nearly whines. "You'd promised me you wouldn't lie to me."

"I'm sorry," she apologies sincerely, a soft smile on her face.

Eyes close, one of Damon's hands goes to his temple, rubbing. "You're going to drive me mental one day."

She merely grins up at him. Her eyes close again due to fatigue and weakness and her head lolls towards the side, before she gains momentum and opens her eyes again, her eyelids suddenly feeling heavy.

"Your eyes," Elena stutters, as Bella and Damon both turn to her. "They're...they're brown. You had green eyes. Now they're brown. Wha-how...?"

Damon's eyebrows as if noticing the change for the first time as his baby blue eyes meet warm brown ones. He's always noticed her eyes first, but...

A look of mischief passes over his face, a smirk lighting up his face. "Well, hello there, Bambi!"

Bella groans half-heartedly. "Bambi was male."

"I know."

"I'm not a male."

His eyes follow the length of her body suggestively with a cocked eyebrow. "I'm well aware."

Bella's response is interrupted by Stefan. "Why have your eyes changed color?"

"When I 'die'," she air quotes, "and then come back, my eyes are a different color. It's troublesome, really."

"How?" Angela asks curiously.

"They once were silver. Contacts are a bitch," Bella states simply.

"How many colors have you gone through?" Damon raises an eyebrow.

Bella twiddles her thumbs, a look of innocence passing over her face.

"You're not going to answer, are you?"

"Nope," she grins.

Angela speaks up again. "I meant the 'how' as in 'how do you come back'?

"I have a purpose to fill. Only after that I can die," Bella answers calmly. "Now, what the bloody hell happened?" she questions, indicating to the passed out Bonnie.

"She, uh, inflicted pain on Damon."

"And then promptly fainted?"

"Well, no," Angela starts, trying to gather her thoughts, "She couldn't...couldn't get him in pain because, uh, your hand was around him," she mutters, blushing.

"My hand?" Bella asks, eyebrows raised.

Angela, Stefan, and Elena nod.

"Huh. So essentially, Bonnie's the reason I woke up so fast. It usually takes a day or two," Bella murmurs softly.

She pats Elena's hand and shakily gets to her feet. Before half of her weight settles onto her feet, she stumbles, her weak legs giving out underneath her. One of Damon's arms goes around her, just a little below her shoulders, and the other behind her knees, scooping her up in his arms.

"You need rest," he commands.

Bella's doesn't argue, but closes her eyes, her head falling onto his shoulder as he ascends the stairs towards his room silently, careful not to jostle her too much.

Elena watches the two disappear with Stefan and Angela, before turning to look at her boyfriend with a confused expression. "Bambi?"

Stefan lets out a chuckle. "I heard her informing him once that when she'd had brown eyes, 'Bambi' was her nickname, not one she was fond of. I thought she meant contacts, and I believe Damon thought the same."

Elena smiles. "So, long day, huh?" she asks awkwardly, rolling from the tip of her toes to the heel, questions roaming in her mind.

"I'm going to go to bed. Bonnie and I spent majority of the night talking and practicing," Angela states.

"Practicing?" Stefan questions

"Can I tell you tomorrow?" the witch asks, politely covering up her yawn behind her hand.

Elena and Stefan whisper a soft 'goodnight' to her before she, too, disappears up the stairs.

"What about Bonnie?" Elena asks, frowning.

Stefan rubs the back of his neck. "The guest bedroom?"

"Is it okay to sleep in it?"

"Mmhmmm. Zack kept the rooms pretty clean."

Stefan moves to pick up Bonnie when Elena lays her hand on his arm. "You just drank bags of human blood. You're not freaking out?"

He shrugs. "I'm full, and still weak. I'm not sure, but I don't have the urge to bite."

She nods, and he picks up Bonnie easily, walking in human pace up the steps to the third floor, with Elena trailing behind them. He tells her to go get ready for bed, that he'd join her in a few minutes.

She settles in Stefan's bed after sending a text to Jenna about spending the night with Bonnie and Bella. _Technically not a lie_...

"Hey," Stefan whispers, climbing in beside her.

"Hey," she whispers back.

"I know you have questions, but it's quite late, and we do have school tomorrow."

She groans. "Let's ditch."

He mock gasps. "Damon's a bad influence on you."

She smirks. "No, that's all you," she replies cheekily. "Speaking of Damon, do you hear anything from the room? Bella's okay, right?"

Stefan snickers. "She's sleeping, resting. I stopped by before coming in here. From the looks of it, I don't think Damon's going to be sleeping tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"He's pacing. He can't sit still, can't stay in one place. He just stares at her as if she's going to vanish in thin air."

Elena raises her eyebrows and her heartbeat increases involuntarily. "Damon?"

Stefan nods, before responding softly, "I've never seen him like this before."

Elena shrugs, fidgeting with the ends of her tank top, uncomfortable.

Stefan, as if noticing her discomfort, continues, "But we can't ditch. What would Jenna say?" Elena opens her mouth to respond before Stefan cuts her off, one hand on her cheek. "We shouldn't skip. We might need those excuse-days for something else," he points out. "Besides, Alaric told me school tomorrow would be interesting."

Elena pouts but doesn't disagree. She kisses him softly before giving into her fatigue.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Stefan and Elena had taken Angela and Bonnie to school with them earlier in the morning. Angela would be posing as a visitor for the time being, shadowing Stefan; she had wanted to see the school to decide whether she wanted to attend or be homeschooled by Bella. Bonnie had sped out towards Stefan's car without meeting anyone's eyes as fast as she could've.

Bella and Damon are sitting on a sofa and a chair, respectively, waiting for Stefan, in front of the fireplace just as the front door opens and closes softly, and small steps move towards them. They both turn their heads and see a nervous Elena wriggling her hands together, taking deep breaths.

"I can do this," she mumbles to herself.

Damon turns to raise an eyebrow at Bella, but she shrugs.

Elena steps closer to the two, still keeping her distance, her heart beat incredibly fast.

The front door opens and closes once again, and this time a solemn Stefan steps in, his hands behind his back, and his face void of any emotion. Elena takes another deep breath.

"I...I have an announcement."

"Hmm?" Bella hums, an encouraging smile on her face.

"I'm pregnant," Elena rushes out.

In his haste to get up, Damon falls off his chair, and Bella bursts out laughing.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_My right foot taps onto the floor and my left hand fingers drum against the chair's arm rest. I must've driven Stefan crazy by now, but I don't care. Not because I want to annoy him, but because I simply can't take my mind off of things, off of _you_ to even give him a thought. My eyes don't leave your form as I move to lean on the window sill, and then to sit on the bed beside you, and then back to the chair just a little away from the bed. __You had died. Your heart had stopped. How is it that you're alive? You shouldn't be alive. __If I could've gotten away with it, I'm sure I would've had a stethoscope in my hand, with the earpieces permanently in my ears, and the chest piece right above your heart. Not that I'd ever let you know. Maybe someday. ..._No_. _

_You didn't tell me to come to bed, to sleep. You know me, don't you? You knew I wouldn't be able to catch a wink of sleep. I'd be over-thinking the things that happened today. Or maybe you just didn't want me to wake you up with my constant worry had I been in the same bed as you._

_I've felt fear before. It's this chest-tightening feeling that feels like all the air is being sucked out of your body, and your throat closes up, as if being stuffed with a huge closed-ended-tube. I've also felt dread before, and that was when I saw Katherine being carried away in the carriages towards the church. I don't think it was fear that I felt when Mason told me to get to the house. Maybe it was dread. Perhaps something had happened to Elena, or you, or Stefan. Distorting images had flashed through my mind but they had only caused me to run faster. I left my vintage car behind for you. You should feel honored, you know. _

_But what I felt today, earlier today, when you were lying so still, so cold and so pale, so...unlike you, was a completely foreign feeling. There was fear, and there was dread. There was gratitude, and there was also the sense of betrayal because you lied to me when you'd promised me you wouldn't. Did you know you'd be alive? Why didn't you tell us, then? You left us feeling no more than two feet tall. Amongst those feelings was something else. The feeling that I'd never experienced before. __I've only ever lost Katherine and no one else that I was close to. Are we friends? I don't have friends, unless you count Elena and maybe Ric. That's why I've never experienced losing a friend. _

_I suddenly want to wake you up so you can answer my questions and put me at ease, but I know I can't do that. Because I won't do that. You need the rest. And most importantly, I need to grab my thoughts and hold them together. When I do question you, I want to have all the loopholes covered. No more lying, and no matter what you say, keeping away information is lying in my books. You told me to trust you, Isabella, so why didn't you do the same? I probably wouldn't have let you go through with it had you told me. I would've done it instead. Is that why you didn't? _

_You're so weak that it's apparent with one look at you. You died and you came back. How does that even work? I've never seen you like this. You're always so strong, with your emotions in control, and any situation in hand. _

_Why did you save Stefan today? Again? What are _we_ to _you_? _

_Why did you help me today? What am _I_ to _you_? _

_You didn't just save my brother today. You saved a part of _me_ that I thought no longer existed. And I think you know it, too. I could see it in your innocent doe-like eyes. _

_A smirk reaches my lips. You hated it when I called you 'Isabella', but that's okay. I have a new name for you. From now on, you're my Bambi. _

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>Soooooooo? <strong>

_I figured you guys could use some fluff before the really heavy stuff comes in. Three things: 1.) I'm not going to make any exception for the vampires like Meyers did in Breaking Dawn. 2.) No, Elena did not cheat. 3.) No witchy voodoo was involved. Can you guess what happened? _

**On another note, I have a Facebook page especially for Fanfiction where I'll be posting dialogues from this story as teasers. You can look me up through [**_Corrupt Subduction_**] or click on the link on my profile. I was amazing to talk and get to know you guys!**

_Reviewers will get something special as always! Show me some love for writing such a long chapter?_


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-reader, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_**, for leaving me her thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>Search for the answers I knew all along<br>I lost myself, we all fall down  
>Never the wiser of what I've become<br>Alone I stand, a broken man_

* * *

><p><em>.<em>

_._

A bright light flashes through the room just as Elena starts giggling at Damon's predicament. He looks up to find Stefan holding a disposable camera and a smirk on his face.

Bella slaps a hand over her mouth to stop the hysterical laughter bubbling forth when Damon glares at her murderously.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" he barks out.

"Bella's rubbing off on you," Stefan comments, trying to bite back his smile. "And you're going to need to watch your language around the baby."

"What baby?"

"Our baby," the younger brother announces, wrapping an arm around Elena's shaking shoulders.

Damon blinks at them blankly. "You've finally lost your mind. It's all that thumper draining."

"The school is making the Juniors do a parenting project," Stefan explains, rolling his eyes, "We have to take care of computerized children for a week. Half of our Health class grade is based on it. We had to take a picture of our parents or guardian's reaction."

"This is why I question your decision to go school, brother."

Stefan shrugs. "Maybe it'll be fun."

"Doubt it," Damon then lets out a laugh, a gleeful smile on his face. "Do these computerized children cry?"

"They're just like real children, except they record everything," Elena informs.

"Exactly like real children?" Damon asks, his smile widening. Bella lets out a laugh from the sofa, catching onto Damon's line of thought.

Elena eyes him warily. "Yes..."

"I can't wait to see this, then."

Elena rolls her eyes, imagining a tiny cartoon-Damon rubbing together his hands with an evil gleam in his eyes in her mind.

"When's the week starting?"

"Today," she responds.

"Where is it?"

"Where's what?" Stefan asks.

"The doll."

"We have to go get the doll from school. But first," Elena groans, "We have to attend a Lamaze class."

Bella snickers softly under her breath, trying to concentrate on the _Sense and Sensibility _text laying open in her lap.

Damon breaks out into a crackle-like laughter.

"And you have to come with us." Stefan grins.

Damon's laughter dies down to chuckles. "Come where?"

"To the Lamaze class! And when we pick our baby!" Elena squeals with mock excitement.

"Why do I have to go to the class?" Damon makes a face.

"Because you're my guardian, and you need to sign some papers. The health class teachers want to meet the 'parents' of the soon-to-be parents." Stefan continues after noticing Damon's resistance, "It's mandatory."

Damon groans. "I hate this."

"We're leaving in half an hour! So go get ready," Elena commands.

Damon looks down at his black v-neck half sleeve t-shirt and his black jeans. "I'm going like this," he states firmly.

"I'm coming with," Bella decides from her perch on the sofa.

"Sure!"

"Absolutely not!"

Elena and Damon both glare at each other. Stefan snorts in amusement and goes to sit beside Bella, giving her a warm, wide smile, one of his hands squeezing her shoulder affectionately.

Elena crosses her arms over her chest. "Why not?"

"Because she needs rest."

"I've been resting since yesterday," Bella pouts.

"I said no."

"You're acting like I'm about to die."

"You _did_. Yesterday."

"Yesterday. I'm fine, now."

"No."

"Damon?" Bella inches closer to him. She pokes him in the arm. When he refuses to listen to her, she stands in front of him and grasps his chin in her hand, forcing him to look at her. "I've been stuck in all day, sitting on that sofa," she starts softly. "I'm fine, I really am. I hate sitting in one place for more than five minutes. I _need_ to go out."

Damon searches her eyes, and then lets his head fall back a little, sighing. "Fine. But if something happens, I'm holding it over you. Or I'll just leave you there."

Bella nods in promise, and all but drags Elena upstairs.

Stefan stares at his brother and shakes his head.

"What?" Damon asks with a frown.

"Nothing. Just wondering how the house's going to be like this evening," he smirks.

"I reckon there'll be crying, wailing, and...are you going to need to change its diaper?" Damon scrunches up his nose in disgust.

"Most likely."

"Good luck with that, brother."

"Elena's good with babies. She's babysat before. I can't say the same about Caroline."

Damon does a double take at that last line. "Caroline's in your class?"

Stefan nods, a boyish grin lighting up his face. "So are Bonnie, Tyler, and Matt."

"Did they get to choose their partners?"

"None of us did. Elena and I were just lucky." Stefan smirks.

"Who'd the rest get paired with?" Damon asks casually, picking up the chair from the floor, before moving towards the alcoholic drinks, getting himself a glass of Johnnie Walker, Blue Label. He tilts the top of the bottle towards Stefan, a silent offer.

"Neat, please."

Damon hands the drink to his brother, sitting on the arm rest of the sofa opposite of him, putting one foot on the table. He takes a gulp.

"Caroline's with Tyler. Matt's with Amiee Bradley. Bonnie's with this new student, Luka."

"New?"

"Transferred, he says, from Salem."

"Any connection to our little Bennett witch?"

"It seemed like she'd just met him, so I don't think so."

Damon nods, downing his drink, glancing at the clock.

"It's almost time to go," Stefan comments, following his brother's gaze.

"Mmhmm."

Both their heads turn towards the stairs at the same time as they hear heels clicking on the wooden stairs.

Elena enthusiastically tells Bella about the Health teacher, hinting at his young age, and his single status. They fail to notice the heated gaze that follows from the dangerously high heels on Bella's feet to her black waist high pencil skirt, over her royal blue ruffled sleeveless top, and then train themselves on her lips. Stefan bites the inside of his cheek before nudging his brother, snapping him out of his reverie just as both girls look up, grinning.

"You both look beautiful," Stefan compliments, taking Elena's hands in his and pressing his lips to Elena's for a peck.

Bella grins. "She wouldn't let me dress her up, but she let me use some makeup."

"Really?" Stefan asks, surprised.

"Mhm," she smiles back smugly. "Can't even tell, can you? I'm an expert."

"She's always beautiful," Stefan whispers against Elena's temple, causing her to sigh and lean into him.

"Shall we get going, then?" Damon smoothly sidles up to them.

"I'll drive," Stefan offers.

"Gentlemen," Elena exchanges a sly look with Bella as both brothers help in their respective companion into the back seat of the car, before closing the doors, and proceeding to the front seats.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?" Elena asks Stefan.

"I don't mind. You can pick the gender."

"The world's coming to a time where we can choose a child's gender," Damon mutters to himself.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Miss Gilbert and Mr. Salvatore," their heath teacher greets them. "They're your guardians, I take it?" The man gave pointed looks to both Damon and Bella, his eyes lingering on Bella a little too long.

"Damon Salvatore," Damon greets with a smile and pinched eyes, extending his hand to the young, suit clad teacher.

"Jason Lefebvre, Health teacher." He turns to Bella with a small, flirty smile. "I don't believe I've seen you before. Who could forget such a beautiful face?"

Bella smiles politely, shaking the dark haired teacher's hand. "Isabella. I've just moved here."

"Have you? From where?"

Elena and Stefan exchange a look, hiding smiles.

"England."

"Well, lucky you. I've always wanted to visit, but with my education in the way, I've never been able to gather the time."

"Time's your own possession, Mr. Lefebvre," she drawls out his name in French accent, a small smirk gracing her lips as the teacher's lips part. "Should you want it, you'd be able to make it bend to your will. Even have eternity, should you wish."

"Regardless, I am humbly jealous." The screeching of microphones makes everyone in the auditorium wince. "Forgive me, I must leave. That is my announcement call." He sends another smile Bella's way, and nods to the rest of the group.

"There's something odd about him," Damon mutters.

"There's nothing wrong with him," Stefan responds.

"I've never seen him flirt with anyone before," Elena comments, amused.

"Like you've seen him outside of school." Stefan bumps his shoulder with Elena's teasingly.

"Fair enough."

A throat clearing from the small stage towards the north of the room silences everyone. The four turn to face the health teacher. Damon leans down to whisper something into Bella's ear, which makes her bite her bottom lip to stop from grinning, and Elena leans her head on Stefan's arm, equally excited and nervous for the upcoming project.

"I'd like to first and foremost to thank you all for taking the time to come today. Junior year Health class is now having one week of Parenting Session, which have become mandatory for High Schools throughout the state of Virginia. Health class students will take home today a highly advanced computerized doll, which will record everything. For example, it will record what time the 'parents' played with the dolls, what time it was fed, changed, held, put down, and so forth. In addition, it will also record everything that goes on around you and the words. When we plug the dolls back in, the grades will be dependent 50% on how well the dolls were taken care of and 50% on the words and language control. So, if you curse a lot, the doll will be recording and when the dolls are plugged into the special computer, the worse the language and depending on how many bad words were used, the lower that particular '50%' will be."

"Today's Lamaze class will teach the students the breathing practices. We will also include how to change the diaper, just once, and how to feed the baby properly," he continues.

"The parents' or guardians' presence is required because they, too, will be sharing a house with a highly voice-sensitive doll. So if your walls are paper thin, please refrain from any grown up activities that will disturb the child's sleeping. The parents' or guardians' will also need to sign a form stating they will make sure the dolls are not harmed in any way and if there has been damage inflicted, they will need to pay for those damages," he inclines his chin towards his right, where a table is set up with a pile of papers.

"The Lamaze class will start in five minutes and that will take roughly thirty minutes. Afterwards, the families can then choose together the 'baby' doll. Thank you for your cooperation!"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Your heart's racing," Bella comments to Elena, grinning.

The brunette groans in response, "The deep breathing, holding in breaths..."

Bella pats her on the back lightly.

"Have you decided yet?" Jenna asks. "Where are the boys?"

"Grabbing a drink." Elena perks up. "Oh! Look at her, she's so cute!"

Bella and Jenna exchange an eye roll behind Elena's back. She's been changing her mind from a baby boy doll to a baby girl doll every two seconds.

Elena had been bouncing up and down, awed that the dolls looked so real and felt even more so. The only thing distinguishing a real baby and the doll is the solid stiff position the doll babies were in; they weren't moving...yet. Elena had failed to notice the discomfort on Stefan's face and his brooding face held a different type of self-loathing. Bella had inclined with her head towards Stefan to Damon. Damon's now, hopefully, talking Stefan out of any heroic plans he might've been making to leave Elena so she could have a normal life.

"Have you picked a baby yet?" Jason asks, sidling up next to the three ladies.

"No, not yet. They're all so cute," Elena comments with a small pout.

"They get even more so when you flip the switch for ON," he informs, with a grin. "Miss Sommers," he extends his hand in greeting.

"Mr. Lefebvre."

The teacher breaks the silence between Jenna and Bella, while Elena compares both the female and male dolls.

"Miss Isabella, tell me; are you taking a break from studying?"

"Bella, please. I've graduated already."

Elena smirks at the question, and nudges Bella softly with her elbow, swallowing the giggle making its way up her throat.

Just as Jason's about to comment, Bella turns abruptly to Elena, picking up a small doll from the boy's box. "I like this one."

Elena nods, still debating on the gender of her 'baby'.

"Where is your partner, Miss Gilbert?"

"He's a-"

"Right here," Stefan replies, wrapping an arm around Elena's waist, a small, pinched smile on his face.

"Are the two 'parents' required to stay together during the night, Mr. Lefebvre? Or do they take turns each night?"

"That is up to the parents, Miss Sommers. It isn't mandatory."

"Perfect!" Jenna grins. "You can take the doll home today, Stefan. We'll have it tomorrow."

Stefan gapes. "But I've never...I mean, I've never even held a baby before."

"Bella's going to be there to help you," Jenna states.

"Like I've said previously, this will be fun to watch," Damon smirks, coming up to them, and handing both Elena and Bella a cold Pepsi bottle.

"Aw, you're so sweet," Bella thanks him, smiling gratefully.

"I've been meaning to ask; how are you related to the two?" Jason asks curiously.

Damon stares at the teacher with one eyebrow raised, while Stefan bites his lip to hide a smile, catching onto Jason's line of thought.

"I'm not," Bella responds with a small smile playing at her lips.

"But you're one of his guardians, right?" the teacher retorts, giving a pointedly glance at Bella's ring finger.

"Oh! Oh, no. I'm living with them. I'm not related to them," she replies, looking up at Damon playfully through her eyelashes.

"I called you his guar-" Jason shakes his head and clears his throat. "Have you picked the dolls yet, Elena? I have to activate all the dolls."

Elena bites her bottom lip thoughtfully. She sighs and then looks up at Stefan.

"Pick a gender."

"Oh, no. I'm not doing that."

"Why not?" She pouts.

"Because you might sulk if he chooses a different gender than what you wanted," Bella offers helpfully.

"Damon, pick."

Damon makes a face. "Why?"

"Because you're going to help us take care of it."

Elena sees Bella leaning subtly into Damon, and then in the pretense of taking a sip, she whispers something to him rapidly.

He sighs and rolls his eyes.

"Get a boy," he tells in a monotone.

Elena pulls Stefan over the blue box, immediately pulling out one doll.

She then turns back to the group, grinning, and holding the doll to her chest. "Meet Baby Salvatore."

Jenna and Bella snicker. Damon just gives the baby doll a one-large-eyed stare.

Jason extends his hand. "Here, let me activate it." He pulls out a small, round metal key, and puts it in the small lock on the doll's neck. "Prepare to lose your sleep for the next week."

He turns the key and immediately, the doll starts wailing, its legs and arms flailing.

Jason puts the key back into his pocket, and laughs at a grimacing Elena.

"He looked cuter when he was quiet," she mutters softly.

"Here," Jason says, holding out the baby towards her.

She grabs the doll under the arms and holds it to her. She exchanges a wide-eyed, panicked glance with Stefan, before wrapping a hand under the dolls neck, rocking him softly, and trying to get it to quieten.

"Does he need feeding?"

"Where do we get the food?" Stefan asks in turn.

"You get one bottle from the lunch lady over there. And then you'll have to buy the rest," their amused teacher answers.

Jenna holds up both her hands as Elena gives her a pleading glance when the doll keeps wailing, garnering attention of the other occupants. "Don't look at me. I've only held you and Jeremy a few times."

"May I?" Bella requests, holding out both her hands, handing her drink to Damon.

Elena lays the baby into Bella's arm, and watches as one of Bella's arm curls up gently around the head and the other around the knees. Her thumb rubs in small circles at one of the temples and she holds the baby close to her chest, in a mother's embrace. Elena smiles unconsciously in awe as the doll makes some suckling noise, before quietening down.

"You're good with the kids," Jason compliments.

"I've babysat when I was younger," the brunette grins in response, failing to notice Damon's lips uplifting a tiny bit at the same time. "These babies are highly advanced, aren't they? Just like real," she whispers softly, as if to herself.

"I must go help the other students. I'll see you around, hopefully," he wishes wistfully.

Bella just gives him a smile in response.

"Can we leave now?"

"Mmhmm," Stefan responds.

"So that doll's staying with us today?" Damon questions.

"Baby Salvatore," Elena quips up.

"I'm not calling it a Salvatore."

"Why not?"

"Elena."

"Damon."

"We should get him a shirt that says 'Baby Salvatore' on the front," Bella offers.

Elena grins. "We should. Bonnie and Caroline aren't too excited about this, but I am. It's a good chance to see-" she stops abruptly, glancing apologetically at Stefan.

"Where are they, anyway?" Bella asks, rocking the sleeping doll, before handing it back to Elena, the five making their way out.

"They left earlier. Saw them leave when I was getting the soda," Damon informs.

Just as Jenna's about to leave, Bella widens her eyes a tiny bit; her lips part and the sides come closer to the other to make a small 'O'. She quickly asks while Jenna's within earshot, "Can you keep the baby tonight, Elena? I forgot the three of us had to go somewhere tonight."

Damon and Stefan exchange a look. Stefan raises an eyebrow in question, and Damon moves his head in negative in small motion.

Elena raises her eyebrow.

"Trust me," Bella whispers to her softly.

Elena nods, confused. "Sure."

Jenna bids them goodbye, before going to her car. Stefan and Elena make plans to buy the necessities for 'Baby Salvatore', while Damon and Bella wait in Damon's car.

"Bambi," he begins, smirking as Bella sticks her tongue out at him. "What's Charlie's last name?"

"Why?"

"Curious."

"Swan."

"And yours?"

"Masen."

"Why Masen?"

"It was my husband's surname."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_Did you notice you'd said you're living with us today, Isabella? Not staying, but living. The implications have changed, and the words contain different meaning. Does it mean the same to you as it does to me?_

_Do you know that you're smile lights up your entire face? Whether it's a small smile or a grin, your eyes light up from a dark chocolate brown to a light one...almost amber. Almost like the color of scotch. I don't think I've ever known before that there were different colors of brown. Or maybe I did know but never gave it much thought to keep it in my mind to register._

_As each day goes by with your company, more questions arise. You're good with babies. Now I want to know if you've had a baby when you were human. Roaming this plane, I've learned the difference between a woman and a mother. You're tiny. Tall, but tiny. There's no way you could've given birth, but your motherly instinct is so intact. Have you had a baby, and if yes, where is he or she? I'll ask you that someday._

_You didn't take Charlie's last name, while he's your father in every way but blood, you'd said. So why haven't you taken his name? You said it was because of your husband. You have a _husband_. I don't know how to feel about that. I don't know whether to feel sorry for him because you're connected to a human in a way that you could easily die, especially since that human is _destined_ to death, or feel sorry for myself because it's the first time I realized there are others who know you more than I do,_ better _than I do_._ Anna had obviously known you well, and you'd cared about her in some way. But it's the revelation I can fully register in my mind that someone has a right on you; the right that I suddenly wish he didn't, that leaves me shaken._

_What else are you hiding, Bambi? Tell me your secrets. Let me unravel _you_._

_._

_._

* * *

><p><strong>I updated in two days! Woo! Did you guys notice Damon's ignorance on denying a particular accusation? Jason's a new character who will be having a small role in this story; he's not just a random insert into one. <strong>

_Next chapter will have some communications within the characters. Elena's jealousy will be addressed, Bella's past will slowly come forth, and Stefan and Bella's friendship will gain a little courage. After that, the normal drama will start up again. :) _

**On another note, I have a Facebook page especially for Fanfiction where I'll be posting dialogues from this story as teasers. You can look me up through [**_Corrupt Subduction_**] or click on the link on my profile. I was amazing to talk and get to know you guys!**

_Reviewers will get something special as always! _


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-reader, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_**, for leaving me her thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.**

**Apologies to **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_ **for not being able to wait to receive your DocX. I wanted to get this chapter out before tomorrow. I'll still go back and correct if you sent me the DocX. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>I am losing you again<br>Let me out and let me in  
>'cause you're not alone here<br>Not at all  
>Let me belong here<br>Break my __fall_

* * *

><p><em>.<em>

_._

Elena's sides hurt as she laughs, a hand clasping over her mouth. Bella sits next to her;_ Urban Literature _textbook covering the lower half of her face, hiding her smirk.

Last night went just how Bella had thought it would've. After the food and diaper shopping was complete—with Stefan paying for everything and the baby sleeping peacefully in Elena's arms—night had fallen. When Stefan left, the baby woke up: whiny, tired, and refused to be put down on a bed. As Bella had predicted to the boys earlier, the phone rang at 1 a.m., and when Bella showed up at the Gilbert house, Jenna had all but shoved both a sleepy Elena and a fussy baby at Bella, agreeing to the amused brunette's suggestion of letting Elena, _and_ the baby boy, stay at the Boarding house.

And so Elena spent the night sleeping with Stefan rocking the doll gently.

"I wonder how Bonnie's doing," Bella had hinted to Angela after breakfast, and the brunette witch had eagerly shared her plans of spending the day helping Bonnie.

"You don't mind her leaving you, and spending so much time with Bonnie?" a confused Elena had questioned Bella.

"No. Bonnie's starting to trust Angela, and we need that," was the reply.

"I can't fucking believe this," Damon mutters roughly under his breath, holding the doll as far away from his body as his arms allowed.

"Language!" Elena manages to yell out, red faced.

Stefan chuckles at that, his eyes not leaving the wet stain on his brother's shirt.

"It's your fault," Damon continues, "You didn't tie the diaper the right way!"

"Why don't you try it?" his brother retorts.

"You did it on purpose," it's not a question, but an accusation.

As if timed, the baby doll starts wailing again, his arms and legs failing around.

"You need to hold him closer," Bella says with a small snicker. "Wrap your arms around him and then gently pat his head."

"I'm not doing that!" Damon yells, his wide baby blue eyes trained on the fussy doll. "Elena, take care of your baby!"

"But you have to learn to be around a baby," Elena responds with a snort.

Damon grunts, still staring at the doll with disdain on his face.

His arms awkwardly wrap around the tiny body, the silky blue onesie rubbing gently across the length of his hand. Damon tries to imitate the way Bella had held the child yesterday in the auditorium, but his gentle patting only makes the doll cry even more.

"That's _it_," Damon mumbles, tossing the doll towards Stefan without a care, and turns towards the stairs. "I'm going to go take a shower. Or two."

"Is he okay?" Elena peers into Stefan's arm, looking at Baby Salvatore from head to toe, as if assessing for injuries.

"Mmhm. He's fine," Stefan assures, handing the doll to Elena.

"I'm bored," Bella sighs.

Elena winces. "I can't believe we still got homework."

"The teachers are really preaching abstinence, aren't they?" Bella wonders out loud.

Elena blushes lightly.

Bella eyes her. "Do you want to head out? I need some new clothes."

Stefan raises an eyebrow at Bella, but she shakes her head as if to say, 'later'.

"Sure." Elena shrugs.

Bella winks at Elena and Stefan. "Damon, do you want to come with us?"

"No!" comes a response from above the floors above.

"Why not?"

"You'll force the devil doll onto me again."

Bella snorts, inclining her head towards the door. "Do you need anything else?" she questions Elena.

"Just the diaper and milk bag."

"Look at you, being all mommy-like," Stefan comments gingerly.

Elena reaches up on her toes to kiss him lightly as Bella gets the diaper bag ready. She holds the doll's hand and waves it up and down. "Say 'bye', baby."

"Let's go."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"How's this one?" Bella holds out a light blue jumper. "Oh! There's a small baseball cap and glove that comes with it! Aww."

"You're having fun with this, aren't you?" Elena questions her softly.

Bella smiles at her. "I am. I love children." She shakes her head daintily, a wistful smile. "Even if it's just a doll."

"How are you so good with kids? I've babysat before but the doll wouldn't..."

"I've been a nanny more than a few times for many centuries."

"But why?"

"Little kids have the innocence that is lost once becoming a vampire, and in this century, so do humans. They're so small, so dependent. They don't judge; they love unconditionally immediately. They get attached and dependent without knowing or getting suspicious. They trust so fully. I crave that innocence, those feelings. They easily love, and unintentionally demand love that can't be denied. I experience my motherhood through them."

"Isn't that masochism?"

"No, not really. I've come to terms with the fact that I'll never have kids a long time ago."

Elena squeezes Bella's hand gently, holding the sleeping doll in the other arm.

"He's going to be awake all night again," she groans.

"Vampire baby," Bella replies with a laugh. "Have you noticed we've never really been alone before? Except for that one morning shopping trip."

Elena nods. "I didn't realize it till just now."

Bella clears her throat. "There was something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Hmm?" Elena smiles encouragingly.

"What are your feelings for Damon?"

Elena's arms go slack by her side, the doll making a fast drop towards the ground.

Bella's hand blurs out, and she smoothly catches the baby, rocking and patting him on the back to quiet down his small whimpers.

"He'll probably want milk," Elena mutters, rummaging around the diaper bag hung around her shoulder.

Elena shakes the water and baby formula powder together in a small bottle. Bella holds out her hand for the bottle, not wanting to give the nervous brunette a chance to stall the conversation. She stares at Elena with one eyebrow cocked up.

Elena sighs. "I don't feel anything for him."

"That's a lie."

"It's not."

"Elena, I'm not the only one whose noticed."

"What do you mean?"

"Stefan wondered this as well. He told me last night."

"Last night?"

"I held the baby while he went hunting."

"Oh..."

"Now, back to the question. What do you feel for Damon?"

"Nothing," Elena grumbles out.

"Lie."

She groans. "I don't know! I don't know, okay? I just don't know," she defends.

"I can almost feel your feelings shift when Damon's talking to me in difference to when he's with Stefan."

Bella shifts the baby against her left shoulder, alternating between gently patting and rubbing circles on its back. She hands back the empty bottle to Elena.

"I feel weird when I see the way Damon is with you," she mumbles under her breath, her cheeks tinging with a light pink blush.

"Why?"

"Because he's not like that with me?"

"Because you want to change him."

"Beca-what?" Elena startles.

"You want him to be like Stefan. You want him to give up on his real nature."

"Whereas you...?"

"I don't treat him any differently than I do Stefan because of his diet."

"But you're closer to him."

Bella smiles delicately. "You tend to bond when you can understand; relate. And sharing a bed at night means talking."

Elena nods sheepishly.

"Are you jealous of the friendship I have with Damon, or are you afraid I'm taking your place?"

Elena's head snaps up towards Bella.

"Do you have romantic feelings for Damon?"

"I don't. I really don't."

"Are these rationalized feelings, Elena?" Bella asks, handing the baby doll back to Elena to bundle up after it burped.

"What do you mean?"

"Can you identify that it's jealousy? Do you want to be in my place when Damon's talking to me?"

Elena shakes her head in negative.

"I just...it's hard to explain. When I see you and him laughing and joking, I don't mind it. There's just this feeling in the pit of my stomach that's like burning. It's like heat, but the bad kind."

Bella's brows furrow. "You know, I'd always told Damon that he's not in love with you, but now I'm not sure."

"What?"

"Something _stopped_ the process of him falling in love with you, Elena. And I dare say, you would've started. or already are, having feelings for him."

Elena gapes at her for a few minutes before finding her voice. "Maybe when you told him that he doesn't love me..."

"I can't change what's written in fate until it's time for my death," Bella mumbles. "Never-mind that, I'll see if I can talk to Emily about this."

Bella smiles warmly, and gives the brunette a side-hug.

"Do you want that outfit for Baby Salvatore?"

Elena thinks for a second, trying to concentrate on the outfit rather than on Bella's words. She knows Bella's words had a double-meaning to it, almost, but it was figuring out what they were that troubled her.

Bella takes the outfits they'd chosen to the counter.

Elena carries the baby towards the exit of the store, quietly saying to herself, "You can't take my place when I wasn't there in the first place."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Elena sits on the arm rest of the sofa Stefan's occupying. He grabs her hand and kisses the back of it in greeting.

The talk with Bella during their shopping trip remains on her mind, despite her advances to bury it to the back. _Stefan knew...Stefan saw. What is he thinking? How can he still be so loving? Did he just share that with Bella randomly or was she the one to __approach__ first?_

"How was the shopping?" he asks the girls.

"Fine, good, alright," Elena mumbles back.

Bella deposits the shopping bags by Stefan's feet, and throws herself on the sofa, groaning.

"I hate shopping."

"Simple solution: don't go shopping," Damon snarks, picking up Bella's head, and laying it down on the throw pillow on his lap after he sits.

"But the baby needed clothes."

Elena giggles as Bella throws a pout up at Damon.

"You're treating it like it's a real one."

Bella goes quiet, biting her bottom lip thoughtfully.

Elena's eyebrow unconsciously rise as Damon looks down questioningly at Bella, and she shakes her head in response.

She waits a beat for either of them to talk, but they say nothing.

"Tyler and Caroline stopped by. They were looking for you," Damon informs Elena.

"Why?"

"The were-vamp baby wouldn't shut up. They also didn't know how to tie the diaper."

"Maybe I sho-"

"Don't worry; they're fine now," Stefan soothes.

"You helped them?"

"No, Damon did."

They all, even Bella, turn to stare at him incredulously.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Favorite museum?" Bella asks Damon, resting her chin on the back of her clasped hands.

"Bargello National Museum. In Florence."

Elena makes a face. "Isn't that filled with Gothic paintings?"

"Sculptures. They're all sculptures."

"And not just Gothic, but also renaissance sculptures," Bella quips in.

"What do you like about that?" Elena questions curiously.

"It was a prison beforehand. There are passages, secret ways, that I am now able to explore without a watchful eye of anyone." Damon smirks. "Adding to that, it's not as crowded as other museums...among other reasons."

"Which are?"

Damon leans towards Elena, and whispers, "Think, Elena."

Elena scowls in response.

"Favorite era?" Stefan prompts.

"1920s," Bella says.

"Why?"

"I loved the shimmy, the Charleston, the dance marathons, and the jazz music. Not to mention the 3-D movies. Good tim-" she cuts off, glancing pointedly at the baby doll sleeping peacefully. "Oh! And with Lord Carnavon opening Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb."

"He died of an inset bite, didn't he?"

"Pffft," her lips moves so fast that Elena doesn't catch the words.

Stefan leans in to whisper into Elena's ear, "She said it was a rabid bat." Then he turns to Bella, smiling lightly. "I don't remember much from the 1920s."

Bella's eyebrows pull together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Blacking out." He hastily adds when he notices Damon pointing to the doll, "I didn't pay attention in class during 1920s study."

"But your memory is photographic. You can't _have_ black outs."

Stefan shrugs and murmurs '_Ripper_' out too low for the doll to have caught.

Bella shakes her head adamantly. "Not possible."

Damon stares at her. "What are you saying?"

Bella takes a moment to gather her thoughts. "Elena, can you put the doll to bed in Stefan's room? He'll be up in a second."

Elena frowns; but Stefan gives her a pleading look, desperately curious about the explanation behind Bella's words.

She nods, and gathers the bundled up baby in her arms, moving towards the stairs, trying not to pay heed to the three pairs of eyes staring into her back.

She pulls back the thick comforter on Stefan's bed, and lays the doll in the middle. She slips in beside it, her hand immediately moving to the doll's stomach and rubbing gentle, soothing circles unintentionally. Her feelings are a mixture of discomfort and confusion; she's never had to leave a room before because some type of 'discussion' was going to happen. She'd always known what as going on, but here, she couldn't listen in to see if something's wrong with her own boyfriend.

She sighs, and shifts onto her back, crossing her arms over her chest, staring up at the ceiling. She slips out of bed quietly, making her way towards the door. Just as she's about to turn the knob, the door opens, and a figure steps in. She lets out a little scream.

Damon steps in, and closes his hand over her mouth.

"Damon?" He doesn't respond, but takes his hand away from her. "Where's Stefan?"

"Downstairs."

"Bella?"

"With him."

"What's wrong with him?" she asks, her heartbeat picking up.

"Calm your heart; he's fine. He'll tell you about it when he gets here." He grabs her elbow gently, pulling her towards the open window. "Listen, I want to explain why you were asked to leave. I can practically hear the wheels racing in your mind."

She crosses her arms over her chest. She raises an eyebrow to prompt him.

He sighs. "Bella used compulsion on him."

"_Why_?" she asks uncertainly.

"To prove that he didn't have blackouts, that he was under compulsion."

"Compulsion?"

"He'll tell you himself. But I just don't want you to think Isabella wanted to keep information away from you."

"So why did she send me out?" There was no accusation, but only curiosity.

"You don't want to see him under compulsion. I could barely watch."

Elena's brows pull together in confusion. She'd seen people act under compulsion before. What baffles her even more is Damon's declaration of 'barely' being able to watch.

He clarifies, "He was void of emotions, Elena. Void of will, void of anything humanistic. He was a puppet."

Elena feels her breath leave her body in a silent gasp. Her discomfort and confusion from earlier turns to the uneven feeling of appreciation towards Bella, and apprehension for Stefan.

Damon lifts his hand towards her arm as if to squeeze it in assurance, but his hand falls back to his side. He takes a step back, and looks into her eyes for a few moments before leaving.

She blinks in confusion at his behavior, and before she's aware, many questions take up resident in the front of her mind.

She goes back to the bed, laying on her back, for once wishing the doll would be awake so time would pass faster. She waits for Stefan to get back.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"She's out like a light," Damon informs to the two occupants sitting before the burning fireplace.

Stefan doesn't even acknowledge him, his head hung, chin touching his chest.

Bella cautiously lays a hand on his shoulder, her fingers squeezing in support and as thumb rubbing across the blade of his shoulder gently.

"I could be wrong," she begins, but Stefan shakes his head a tiny bit.

"No, no. When I look back to my time in Chicago, I remember nothing but black flashes. It's almost like I never existed, and I'd always intercepted that with the 'ripper me' not being _me, _therefore not _existing_."

"It's easily mistakable. Compulsion is losing your will. It diminishes your senses. Compulsion is _becoming_ someone else; it's becoming someone the puppeteer you _wants_ you to be. It makes your mind blank while you do the bidding. You don't realize what's happening."

"I've been so ignorant..." Stefan murmurs. "I should've realized how I could remember all my other 'ripper' times yet not Chicago."

"It's hard to identify it until you've felt or seen the effects of compulsion, and can relate it to the previous one."

"How are you able to compel vampires?" Damon eyes her suspiciously.

"Original vampires have the ability to compel both humans and vampires. One of the original vampires used me as a blood bag. The original witch was able to keep me alive longer by transferring some of that vampire's healing ability into me."

"Blood bag?"

"Originals?"

Stefan and Damon both ask simultaneously.

Bella nods. "The first witch, the original. The very first vampires, the originals."

Damon opens his mouth to ask another question, but Bella gives him a small glare, trying to keep the inquiries off of her.

"So you think an original compelled him?" Damon prompts.

"Yup. No one else can compel a vampire." She adds when Damon gives her a pointed look, "I'm special. And there's no other were-vamp hybrid."

"So can't you take off the compulsion like you did yours?" Stefan pleads.

She shakes her head, frowning. "I can't take an original's compulsion off. I'm sorry," she says, letting the hand on Stefan's fall to his hand.

He gives her a small smile, shaking his head.

Their heads turn to look at the ceiling as the sound of ruffling sheets reach their ears, just before a soft whimper does.

"Your baby's awake," Bella comments, grinning.

"I'll go grab him before he wakes up Elena."

Damon looks at Bella with a raised eyebrow.

She sighs. "I know you have questions. Shoot."

"Husband? You're married?"

"No."

"But you said you took your husband's last name."

"I did."

He gives her a glare.

"I used a 'was' in that sentence, Damon. My husband's dead."

He recoils back physically as if hit with emotions, despite Bella's calm answering tone.

"Tell me about him."

She smiles softly. "He was an amazing man. Shy yet mischievous, gentle yet passionate, extremely talented yet modest."

"When did you meet him and where?"

"Chicago, 1917."

"Did he know what you were?"

"Yes. I met him when I fed him my blood when he tried to help a girl from two rapers."

"You fed someone you didn't know?"

"When you meet someone, and you look into their eyes and you see something familiar, something so loving, you can't help but fall for it."

"Then?"

"He courted me, and we were wed within two months."

"Did you change him?"

"So many questions, Mr. Salvatore," she teases, but answers none-the-less, "He didn't want to be changed."

"Why?"

"He accepted me just as I was, but he believed that he'd never be able to gain the control. He didn't want to lose his humanity, his soul."

"So he thought you had no soul."

"No. He'd said I was an exception."

"Meaning?"

"He thought I'd retained my soul because I'm a hybrid. He knew he'd be a full vampire, and he didn't want that. He was too...human, too caring to become a vampire." Bella glances at him. "Don't."

"Don't what?"

"You're thinking he was selfish."

He gives her a look. "Wasn't he?"

"Depends on how you see it. I don't think he was. He knew himself enough to know he'd give into the temptation. That's how we'd gotten married. We both couldn't resist the pull to each other."

"What happened then?"

"Spanish Influenza hit. He was one of those who caught it."

"And he still didn't want to be changed?"

"No."

Damon's eyes flicker from one of Bella's eyes to another. "How'd you deal with that?"

"I'd already come to terms with not having Edward by my side for eternity. It hurt, it _really_ hurt, but I stayed by his side, holding his hand...holding _him_."

"He died in your arms?"

Bella nods.

"Did you stay in Chicago?"

"Of course not. Those living there believed Edward died. The doctors felt his heart give out."

Damon's brows pull together.

Bella continues, "He had vampire blood in his system when he died."

"Yours?"

"No." Bella hesitates. "Katherine's."

Her pain-ridden eyes hold his emotion-filled baby blues hostage, the question about being a mother now at the far back of his mind.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_Katherine. Why does the circle always come to an end together with a nicely tied bow? Has there ever been an open circle? I want to find one._

_I don't know what to do. I can't move. I sit frozen on the single sofa next to the one you're sitting on without moving a muscle. Your eyes hold too much pain, and I'm sure mine hold something, too. But still, I want to shove the world away, and help you rid the pain._

_You're my friend. You understand me, and I understand you, and that's why I can understand how even now your husband's decision, and whatever way he died, _still_ bites at your flesh, eating you inside out. For once, your smile isn't bright. There's a certain bitterness to it, and it's pinched. When you smile genuinely or happily, the corner of your eyes crinkle, and one side of your lip lifts higher than the other. I could tell your fake smile even with eyes closed, and just my hands identifying you. You can't hide from me. I don't want you to hide from me, Bambi._

_I let my hand close around yours, clasping them together, and interlacing our fingers. You need comfort, and I need a reason not to happily skip around, and destroy everything around me._

_After you let Angela in, I lean on the kitchen wall. Your eyes are still darker than usual, tight, yet Angela doesn't notice. She's not really your friend yet, is she, Bambi? How do you feel about that? You two talk for a few minutes, but they're long enough. The witch yawns, and that's the end of that. _

_This is one of those nights when I'm so lost otherwise that I don't think of running my hands on the length of your body; when I don't think of pushing aside clothes to get flesh against soft flesh; when I don't think of what it would be like to just throw everything to the wind, and do what I want to do, and that's to hear your whimpered pleas whispered into my ear, against my lips, against my skin. It's the first night that all I want is to comfort you for the pain someone from _my_ past has caused. _

_._

_._

* * *

><p><strong>Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Happy New Year! <strong>

_Apologies because I sort of over-estimated this chapter. Stefan and Bella's friendship is introduced in this, but it'll continue to actually _form_ throughout the next chapters. Elena's jealousy issues aren't her fault, because that, too, will be given more insight as the relationship between Damon and Bella progresses-although it isn't that hard to figure out; I've just about laid everything down for you guys to connect the dots! There's _a lot_ more to Bella's past with Edward, but rest assured, he's still dead. I don't do anything half-way. I like having everything laid out carefully so that in the end, it all comes together with a nice little bow-or tissues for the tears-on top. I've left enough hints, enough little mentions, and small past stories for the end to be easily seen, although some things will come as a surprise. _

**On another note, I have a Facebook page especially for Fanfiction where I'll be posting dialogues from this story as teasers. You can look me up through [**_Corrupt Subduction_**] or click on the link on my profile. I was amazing to talk and get to know you guys!**

_Reviewers will get something special as always! When do you guys want the next chapter? _


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-reader, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel__,_** for leaving me her thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>Would you believe in a love at first sight?<em>  
><em>Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time.<em>  
><em>What do you see when you turn out the light?<em>  
><em>I can't tell you, but I know it's mine.<em>  
><em>Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends,<em>  
><em>Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends,<em>  
><em>Oh, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends<em>

* * *

><p>Stefan puts down on the table in front of Bella his old diaries.<p>

"How's Elena?" she asks him in turn.

"Still sleeping."

"And Damon?"

"Deciding whether or not he should punt the doll."

Bella grins up at him in response, pulling her long, tangled hair into a messy bun on top of her head.

"These are it, I think. There are probably some in my other houses, but these should cover it," he continues.

"Are you sure you want me to read through these?"

"Yeah, I am. Why wouldn't I be?" He furrows his brow in a cute gesture of confusion.

"Well, for one, these are your private thoughts. They have your secrets, your habits, your character...your _identity_. If you're going to go through this, vulnerability isn't wise."

"I trust you."

The simple sentence held the weight of a thousand words behind it.

Bella nods, and slowly starts making a pile by looking at the dates on the starting pages, putting them in order from the earliest to the latest one written.

"It's going to be hard," she states softly.

Stefan folds his fingers into his palm, putting his chin on his knuckles. "I'm aware. But like you said earlier, I need to start controlling and carving the blood-lust urges rather than denying them."

They don't say anything as Bella finishes putting the diaries in the order to her satisfaction.

"You're afraid of the compulsion on me," Stefan states matter-of-factly to her.

"Mystified, afraid; take your pick."

"Why?"

"I'm not afraid of the compulsion _on_ you, but what it _means_."

"I don't understand."

"It means you've had a run-in with one of the original vampires."

"I realized that," he replies gradually.

"I have more than one reason to believe you've had some sort of a relationship with one, or more, of them." Bella grabs a hold of the diary on top of the other ones, putting up both her feet on the table and slides forward a little, her back against the sofa's back pillows.

"I'm guessing one of the reasons is the compulsion; what is the other?"

"Elena's necklace. The one that's filled with vervain, though I am lead to believe that was your doing."

"I found it in Chicago..." he trains off, his eyes glazing over.

"You just found it?"

"Yeah, why?"

"That necklace isn't ordinary, Stefan. It belongs to one of the original vampires, and it's powerful."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that you shouldn't have gotten it, or found it. It should've been protected."

"What does this mean?"

She shrugs, her eyes glancing at his glazed ones.

"Things are connecting, aren't they?"

He nods slowly. "The blackouts, compulsion, necklace, Chicago..." His head snaps up towards her. "Did you ever see me in Chicago?"

She cocks her eyebrow up at him, not in confusion, but a question.

He puts his chin on his chest, looking at her through his eyelashes sheepishly. "I couldn't help but listen in when you and Damon were talking last night," he confesses.

One side of her lips lift up teasingly. "Such a snoop. But no, I've never ran into you in Chicago."

"Were you in Chicago anytime in the 1920s?"

"I was, but very briefly."

"I'm sorry for prying, but I'm curious about Edward and Katherine's relationship."

Bella's smile slides off her lips, but she remains relaxed.

He continues on, "You don't have to tell..."

"There was no relationship."

"But you said he had her blood."

"That does not entail a relationship. When he'd gotten sick, she'd snuck into the hospital while I was hunting and fed him her blood."

"Why?"

"She says it's because she didn't want me to lose him."

He leans forward, his elbows resting on each of his knees. "You don't believe her."

She shakes her head, and his eyes widen.

"You believe her."

"She wasn't lying."

Stefan remains frozen, with the expression of disbelief etched across his face.

"She's capable of emotions, Stefan."

"Is that why you told me to talk to her more, to try to figure her out?"

"I think she's loved you, and she's loved Damon. But she's loved herself more. Either that, or she was afraid of something getting to the two of you."

"She'd said she didn't love Damon."

"And I don't believe her."

"You've read her mind?" he asks her, half in awe and half in curiosity.

"No; I've gotten into her mind, without any use of telepathy. When you love someone, there may be physical attraction to others, but the love prevents any further action to be taken. When you love someone, you start belonging to them up to the point where you would do anything for them. Think of Elena, Stefan. You love her so much that you'd leave for her protection, for her safety, but would you ever be able to look at someone else the same way you look at her? Or would you ever be able to have a relationship with someone else while you knew she was alive?"

Stefan shakes his head in negative.

Bella continues, "You'd keep tabs on her regardless of where she was, with who she was with. You'd probably sleep with someone, but if you ever do, you wouldn't be with the same person twice, because that's dangerous. That's close to having a small relationship with that person, even if it is purely physical, purely sexual."

He stares at her, his eyes crinkled at the side, but his expression one of realization.

"I believe Katherine's loved you, but she's also loved Damon, even if only the sexual relationship with him, but there _was_ love," she says. She lets him ponder that for a few moments, because slyly asking, "Have you told Elena what I asked you to do?"

"No, not yet."

"You should probably let her know you were with Katherine, talking to her the day you were attacked. It's for the best," she whispers, knowing he'll hear.

Stefan gives her a small smile.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"You think too much," Bella mutters from her perch on the sofa, her feet up on the table in front of her.

"Brooding's more like it," Damon adds.

Stefan slaps the open diary in his hands shut, and rolls his eyes.

Elena yawns, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, walking down the stairs.

"What's going on?"

"No sleep means the vampire's cranky." Bella points to Stefan.

Elena squints towards the table, and her eyes widen when she notices the disarray of old diaries around the table, and the other three occupants each reading the book in their hands.

Bella pats the cushion next to her.

"You guys didn't sleep last night?" Elena questions.

The three shake their heads.

"Why?"

"We were talking."

Elena crosses her arms over her chest. "You know, I'm feeling more and more like I'm unwanted here."

Bella tuts delicately with her tongue, her eyes trained on the open diary on her lap, as Stefan crosses the room to Elena. "We didn't mean to make you feel left out."

Elena frowns. "Then why this secrecy?"

"Like I explained last night, you wouldn't have wanted to see what was going on here last night," Damon states.

"I get that. Stefan under compulsion, but you said he'd explain last night, but he didn't."

"You feel asleep," Stefan murmurs into her hair, his arms going around her waist. "I'm sorry."

"How about you ask what you want to now?" Bella suggests.

Elena walks over to the couch, and sits beside Bella, pulling her legs to her body, her arms going around her knees. She asks about the compulsion, and Stefan does his best to explain his feelings and thoughts over the situations, looking towards Bella to help when he's stuck.

"Why are your diaries being read?" she prompts Stefan.

He sighs, his eyes not leaving hers. "Earlier, Bella asked me to compare my ripper years during the 1920s to what happened during the Miss Mystic Falls...and I remembered giving into the bloodlust, I remembered the taste when drinking from Amber, but I don't remember anything from the 1920s. I should've remembered the time after I was finished with the...victims, for the lack of a better word."

"From that, he decided to listen to Isabella to try to get more control on his bloodlust."

Elena's eyebrows shoot up to her hairline at Damon's comment. "What?"

"He's going to try drinking human blood, and gain more and more control over himself."

"Why?" Elena asks, her nose scrunching up unintentionally.

"What do you mean, 'why'?" Damon interrupts.

She turns towards Stefan. "I thought you didn't want to give in to the bloodlust, that you didn't want to do that to the humans."

"He won't be drinking from a human," Damon butts in again, one of his eyebrow cocked in question.

"I'm not judging you or anything, Stefan," Elena continues, ignoring Damon. "I'm trying to understand."

"He's weak. Blood makes you live, because you're human," Bella begins, "Just like it is for you, blood gives us the ability to live, to move. Animal blood will sustain our bodies, but it makes us weaker because instead of using the blood, we are using our abilities and more energy to go through the days. Human blood will not only help him become more able to protect himself, but Damon and I can help him gain control of his bloodlust."

"Protect himself?" Elena asks in confusion.

"Katherine's around; he was filled with vervain," Damon offers in turn.

"Do you think Katherine did that?"

"It's suspicious."

"Why would she?"

Damon shares a look with Bella, remembering the Stefan and Bella's conversation from the night before, but the three don't answer.

"Late for school," Bella states.

Elena groans as she looks towards the clock.

"Think about it this way: just three more days until you giv-"

Bella's cut off by the wailing sound of a crying baby from upstairs.

"I'll go get it!" she announces, blurring towards the stairs and out of sight.

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable at her outburst earlier, she looks down as if to inspect her twiddling thumbs.

"I'm sorry," she offers feebly.

Damon shakes his head softly, and lifts one side of his lips up in a '_don't worry_' manner. Stefan covers Elena's hand in his own, and gives a light squeeze.

They sit in silence.

"I don't want to go to school."

"Then don't," Damon replies.

Elena turns to look at Stefan, searching for his thoughts on ditching. He shrugs at her, nodding in approval.

"I should probably go see Caroline and Bonnie today. We haven't gotten to talk much," she says, mostly to herself.

"Make plans for lunch at The Grill," Stefan suggests.

She nods at them, but the silence covers the room again. Damon fidgets with his leg, before moving towards the stairs and leaving, giving a two-finger wave to the rest.

"Breakfast?" Stefan asks Elena, getting up to head to the kitchen.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Elena's lunch date had gone off without a hitch, for which she was thankful. She'd come home with a grin on her face, and had run to Damon's room, jumping on the bed, and waited for Bella to join her. The amused brunette had sat down beside Elena, who was cradling the baby doll in her arms, enthusiastically telling all about the time with her friends. Things with Bonnie had steadily improved since the guilt her grandmother had planted into her mind set deep within it; the witch had grudgingly accepted Bella's involvement as long as it was for Elena's protection-she'd also started slowly distinguishing her grandmother's death as just that-death, and started easing the guilt she'd put on Stefan and Damon. Caroline had been hard for Elena to assure; the blonde had apologized, and had kept her gaze on her baby doll most of the lunch. Elena had tried to tell her she'd forgive her, but the vampire had been hard to convince, and remained on the edge, particularly after noting the fact that Bella was not only still staying at the Salvatore house, but also sleeping in the same bed as Damon.

Elena had learned during lunch that Bonnie and her partner, Luka, had gotten closer during the Parenting Project. She was surprised to learn that Luka was a warlock, and even more surprised that Jeremy had a hand in getting them closer. Elena had briefly felt guilty for not visiting Jeremy or Jenna the last two days, but she made plans with both the Salvatore brothers and Bella to stop by with take-out for dinner. The dinner went smoothly, with Jenna and Bella talking more about London and Bella's degree in Media Literacy.

The next two days passed in similar manner: quiet, and fast.

Stefan and Elena drop their school bags by the door.

"Bella?" Elena calls out.

"Yes?" the replies come from behind her, and a startled Elena turns around to see Bella wearing jeans and a black leather jacket, standing with her arms behind her back, an innocent smile on her face.

"Going somewhere?" Stefan asks curiously.

"Nope," the brunette vampire answers, smacking her lips at the 'p', the smile still visible on her face.

"Someone's happy," Elena comments, making her way towards the couch.

"I am. What grade did you get?"

Elena groans at the brunette's question. "We won't know until Monday, although the doll got a full 100%. Some of the other dolls were in poor states," she informs.

"No more wailing around the house," Bella sighs.

Elena shrugs softly as Stefan questions Bella teasingly about her mood.

"I've made plans to visit my father," Bella informs, her smile widening.

"Oh! Charlie, you've mentioned, right?" Bella nods in response to Elena's question. "When're you going?"

"Angela and I are going on Monday, or Tuesday."

"For how long?" Stefan asks, sitting down besides Elena.

"A day or two. He needs me to do something for him."

"And you'll get to see him again."

Bella smiles fondly. "I do wish he'd move here."

"Why won't he?"

Bella moves next to the couple, pulling her feet underneath her. "He's just so used to solitude. He's lived in that cabin for decades, and it'll be hard for him to adjust otherwise."

"Where'd you first meet him?" Stefan asks curiously.

"I met him in London, just in the early 1700s. He was starved, and hiding deep in the jungle with a friend in similar situations."

"Why?"

"They didn't know what they were; they didn't realize vampires existed, even though both their families were vampire hunters for generations. All they both knew was that there was an aching hunger in their throats and they wanted nothing more than to snap the necks of their fellow villagers and drink from them. So instead of taking innocent lives, they hid. They drank from wild animals in the dark part of the forest for a while, and then I found them."

"What did you do then?" Elena leans forward.

"I got them out of there, and taught them self-control."

"Who was that friend with your father?"

"Carlisle Cullen."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_My dead heart skips a beat. Almost literally._

_She left me, but she's right _there_, with that wolf. I look back at Ric's closed door, and debate whether or not I should just knock, and go back in. I don't want to see this. I shouldn't have to see this. It's your way of telling me that whatever I lacked, you found in him. What am I missing? I've spent so much time loving you, thinking you love me back, only to have the reason of living every day ripped away from me. But it's okay, Katherine, because a new reason is slowly manifesting for my heart to beat._

_My lips curl downwards as I see Katherine's hands wrapped around Mason's neck as she pulls him closer, and closer, and closer, her back against one of the trees. His hands remain on her hips, and my eyes take notice as his fingers dig into her skin. She whispers something too soft for me to hear just before she gives him a coy, seductive smile, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. I hear nothing as she tugs on his hand and pulls him further into the trees, away from prying eyes, away from my eye sight._

_I debate as I drive home whether or not I should inform Isabella about the scene my eyes saw. I want to tell her, because then I'd get the right to boast that she was wrong about Mason, and I was right, but at the same time my mind reminds me that she knows Mason, and perhaps she's involved in this. I expel the thought from my mind just as fast as it had arrived; she'd died to save my brother, and I've gotten to know her more. She wouldn't do that to us...to _me_. Should I tell her? Can I hurt her like that? Why doesn't this feel right? Why does it feel like something's not entirely right with the picture, as if something's missing?_

_I see the happiness on your face as you enthusiastically tell me about visiting your father. I can't do it, Bambi. I can't take that smile away. I don't see any hesitation on your face, nor any forcefulness; you're genuinely happy for once and I won't be the one to take that away from you._

_I want to question you as to why you're leaving. Katherine's back in town, and it's apparent she's staying, so how can you leave us? I'm not afraid. Those are just excuses to find out why you're going. Should I ask out loud or shouldn't I? Are you reading my mind, Bambi?_

_Your leg is bouncing on the bed, and your fingers are drumming on my knee as your head lays back on my bed's headboard. I don't know what makes me do it. Maybe it's because you're biting your lip the same way Katherine was just a little earlier, but I doubt it. I'm starting to mean what I've said; any love I had for her is morphing into something else...something not gentle and not sweet and not tender. Maybe it's because the smile you have on your lips is enticing, magnetic, and I can't fight the pull any longer. Or maybe it's because you're so close to me right now, and I'm already half out of control, and I can see the softness of your pink lips, and I'm helpless as one of my hands goes around your neck, and pulls your face closer to mine, and then I'm right _there_, pressing my lips against yours softly, nibbling on your bottom lip gently. _

_And you know what else I notice, Bambi? You neither push me away, nor pull away._

_._

_._

* * *

><p><strong>How did you guys spend your ChristmasNew Years? I was able to spend some amazing moments with my family, which made the holidays exceptionally awesome. :) Did you guys also see the next episode? I swooned at the last scene, and the line he says just before he kisses Elena made me grin; that was the Damon we all know and love! **

_Thank you all for the 400 favorites for this story! Thank you to those who have recommended this story to others, and to those who have linked my story in a chapter! I adore you guys! A special something awaits your inbox. :) Apologies for the delay, but holiday rush commenced. I'll try to get the next chapter posted __as soon as possible__._

**_Just as a side note, the kiss was completely unplanned, but I realize the story is progressing, and I needed to get the romance going before some of the readers offered me as a snack to the newborn vampires. _**

_I now have a **forum**, due to a request from a reader. It's a place where anyone is welcomed; get to know people with similar likes and interests, squeal over Damon, get help on a story, ask a question, and to just talk. I'll give it a trial-run for one or two weeks, and depending on if people post or not, I'll make the decision whether or not to keep the forum or delete it. The link can be found on my profile by either clicking on the forum **link**, or my **homepage**. _

**I have a Facebook page especially for Fanfiction where I'll be posting dialogues from this story as teasers. You can look me up through [**_Corrupt Subduction_**] or click on the link on my profile. I was amazing to talk and get to know you guys!**

_Reviewers will get something special as always! When do you guys want the next chapter? _


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-readers, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_** and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**, for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>Full of fear,<em> e_ver clear,_  
><em>I'll be here,<em> fi_ghting forever._  
><em>Curious,<em> v_enomous,_  
><em>You'll find me<em>  
><em>Climbing to heaven.<em>  
><em>Never mind,<em>  
><em>Turn back time.<em>  
><em>You'll be fine - I will get left behind.<br>__Holding on too tight._  
><em>Breathe the breath of life,<em>  
><em>So I can leave this world behind.<em>  
><em>It only hurts just once.<em>  
><em>They're only broken bones.<em>  
><em>Hide the hate inside.<br>Oh._

* * *

><p>"You're not going to wait for Elena or Stefan to wake up?" Damon asks, his brows pulled together, his hand running through his disheveled hair.<p>

His eyes travel to the sleeping witch in the passenger seat momentarily, wondering what the hurry is to get to Forks. He'd just woken up to shuffling around and Bella all dressed, hair wet, and ready to leave with a bag in hand. She hadn't woken up Angela, but just carried the brunette down to her car.

Bella shakes her head, her fingers tapping on the steering wheel of her small, white Lexus. "You have my phone number, right?" Damon nods at her. "Give it to both Stefan and Elena."

"Sure."

She gives him a smile, the morning darkness casting a shadow over her face. "Take care, Damon," she murmurs slowly, letting her lips brush lightly over his cheek, just at the corner of his lips.

"Be good, Bambi," he replies, a finger tapping on her temple before he pulls his upper torso away from the car's window. He stays by the driveway with his arms crossed over his bare chest, watching the small car make its way away from the Boarding house.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_Do it, _the text on his phone displays.

_No,_ he writes back immediately.

"Having fun?" a deep voice rings from behind him. "Damon," it greets.

"Mason," Damon gives him a sarcastic smile, ignoring the buzzing of his phone indicating another incoming message.

"Having fun?"

"Oh yeah. There's nothing better than the Historical Society Volunteer Day!" he replies, the false enthusiasm making small crinkles appear on the corner of his eyes as his eyelids come closer to each other for a small moment.

Mason chuckles. "I was meaning to ask; how's Bella?"

"Oh, I'm _sure_ you were. She's fine."

"Where is she?"

"You mean she didn't tell you?" Damon asks with surprise, his mind racing.

Mason gives him a look.

"She's at her father's."

Mason opens his mouth to comment, or to ask a question, but Carol calls for him, asking for his help with getting the cups over the table. He gives a nod to Damon, his expression one of contempt, before he leaves towards Carol and Liz, grabbing a stack of cups.

He turns back to his phone, opening up the new message.

_Go tell him; he should know, _Bella had sent to him.

_Why won't Elena? It's her brother, _he questions back.

Buzz.

_She's already boggled with worrying about him, and with Caroline's constant worried behavior, and now trying to come into terms with the fact that her doppelganger's back to torment her, yet not knowing why. Not to mention that Stefan's safety is now on her mind. Besides, you'll get to bond with him; you two can relate._

He sends a scowl to his phone, his fingers tightening just a tiny bit on the edges of it.

_How so? _he asks.

Buzz.

_Katherine. Anna. Used. Abused. Loved._

His jaw visibly tightens at the three last words, but a hand on his shoulder pulls his attention away.

"You're not going to like this," Stefan whispers to him, "but I think Mason knows Katherine very well...a little too well. Caroline just told Elena about it offhandedly."

"That's not new. I saw them together last night," he replies back, his eyes moving over the working figures. "Well, that's new," he mutters under his breath, and inclines his heads towards the tables for Stefan to look at.

Stefan turns his back to Damon, his tense arms around his chest going loose, falling back against his side as he witnesses Mason and Sheriff Liz in a heavy, quiet conversation. Stefan and Damon's heads lower as their ears strain to hear the conversation going on a distance away from them. Their brows furrow as they fail to hear anything from Liz's conversation. Damon looks up at the conversing duo from his eyelashes, without moving his head upwards, his eyes concentrating on the expressions to try and make out the connection. He watches in confusion as Liz argues with a heated expression, and Mason calms her down by lowering his head even more to murmur something into her ear. Damon's eyebrows raise slightly as Mason's eyes travel to the two brothers, and immediately after, Liz's head snaps towards them, too. Mason whispers something with a smirk, before leaving her.

Ignoring Stefan, Damon moves silently towards the gazebo and Liz, who is still frozen in her spot, with plastic cups in her hands.

"What was that about?" he asks her, a wary smirk on his face. He grabs another stack of cups, trying to pry in the pretense of helping.

"Nothing," she mutters quietly, startled, and starts pouring some lemonade into a plastic cup.

"Come on, Liz. Something's up." He could almost chalk up the Sheriff's behavior to being so because of one of Caroline's rage attacks, but something's different about this time, something didn't feel right.

"Mason said the drinks aren't up to par. Try it and see what's missing, will you? I just have to go talk to Jason real quick." She leaves towards the group of teachers before Damon can comment, or ask another question. He watches her curiously as she whispers a quiet, ''_Can I talk to you?'_' to Jason and pulls him towards her truck. Shrugging, he turns back to Stefan, repeating his previous motion in a '_don't know_' manner, lifting the cup in his hand to his mouth.

He chokes on the lemonade, the concoction making his throat burn as the skin wilts away, his airway closing up as the initial reaction makes him involuntarily heave. Not a moment later does Stefan have his hand over Damon's shoulder, leaning in close to ask if he's okay, if he needs anything. Damon shakes his head, leaning at the waist, and murmurs, "Vervain" to Stefan before throwing his glass over the tables outside of the small gazebo in anger.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"I'm going to destroy him," Damon mutters harshly under his breath, so only Stefan's able to hear.

"We don't know for certain if it's him, Damon. Besides, Bella wouldn'-"

"He talked to Liz and only then did she put vervain into my drink!"

"Or maybe she decided to put vervain into all the drinks. Be rational. Bella trusts him."

"She doesn't _know_ him! Does she know he's having an affair with Katherine? If she trusts him, why didn't she tell him she was going to Forks? Hm?" he replies back, enraged.

"You're just being prejudiced, Damon."

Damon's head snaps to look at his younger brother, his expression looking nearly offended and irritated. "How so?"

"You saw him with Katherine and assumed the worse."

"What else do you think he's doing? Playing an FBI agent, Stefan?" Damon chuckles humorlessly, his sarcastic tone making Stefan tighten his jaw, annoyance passing through his expression briefly.

"Da-" Stefan quiets down immediately, as he spots Liz walking with Mason towards her truck, and both brothers face each other in pretense of talking as they listen closely.

"Thank you, Mason," the Sheriff says.

"No problem. If you need anything, don't hesitate," Mason replies back, putting a comforting hand on Liz's shoulder, before taking off towards Carol and Tyler.

"Yup, wasn't him," Damon barks out, a frown on his lips, and his brows furrowed.

As Stefan's about to comment, Jason, his health teacher, comes over to the two, carrying heavy trash bags.

"Hello, Stefan, Mr. Salvatore," he addresses.

Both brothers murmur their greetings.

"Would you mind talking out these bags towards the dumpster behind those trees?" he requests politely. Before Damon and Stefan can say anything, he continues, "I'd do it myself, but I've always been afraid of the woods..."

"Sure," Stefan says with a small smile, grabbing both bags, hurling one gently towards Damon.

Damon makes a face before trailing towards the woods slowly. They pass a few trees, and looking back, not much of the light from the picnic area is visible.

"Who puts trash cans this far into the woods? Or woods in the first place?" Stefan mutters to himself.

"Who's afraid of the woods?" Damon instead questions him.

They both come to a stop, something clicking in their mind, the trash bags dropping to the ground. Before they're able to turn around, a stake goes in through each of their backs and out the front, the burning skin evidence of the vervain sprinkled on the sharpened ends of the wooden weapons. As they both try to get the stake out, they hear gun shots ring around them, and before they can move, wooden bullets lodge themselves into their stomach, back, and shoulders. They both fall to the ground on their knees, their legs giving out, and not soon after their heads meet the dirt ground.

Before Damon loses his consciousness from the vervain and pain spreading throughout his body, he hears a woman's voice-Liz's voice-say to someone else, "Thank you. I really appreciate your help." And he hears a male voice in turn respond, "Happy to help."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Elena bites her bottom lip, her eyes searching frantically for Stefan, and Damon. She hasn't seen both of them for a while, and the pounding of her heart refuses to let her believe everything's okay. She finds Bonnie, and heads towards her to ask for help when blonde hair whips towards her face, and a hand pulls her towards the forest fast. She jogs to keep up with the fast vampire, her head spinning.

"What're you _doing_, Caroline?"

"My mom, Elena. My mom!" the blonde screeches, as muttered curses pass under her breath at a furiously fast speed, and her legs speed up. The woods surround the two, cloaking them within the darkness of tree roots and its branches, the only sound being Elena's hard footsteps on the forest ground, her harsh breathing, and her rapid pulse drumming in her ears.

"What's wrong?"

"She has Stefan and Damon. She found out."

Elena's heart skips a beat, and all breath leaves her body. "_What_? But how?"

"I don't know, but we have to hurry. I can barely smell their blood," the blonde states, her fingers digging into Elena's skin. She suddenly comes to a stop as her eyes squint to a dark figure by the trees.

"Why're you stopping?"

"Wait-"

"We don't have time to wait, Caroline!"

"Elena, Elena, look. _Look_. There's someone there."

Elena's head snaps towards where Caroline's pointing, but she's unable to see anything but darkness and a few trees and its branches, and all hope for the figure being Stefan or Damon is lost.

"Who is it?"

"It looks like...Mr. Lefebvre," Caroline whispers in disbelief.

The figure walks closer to the girls, and just before Elena can identify the dark figure for herself, she hears her health teacher's voice ring out clearly in the dead silent, "Elena, Caroline, what're you doing out here?"

"We, uh, got lost. What're you doing out here?" Caroline asks calmly.

"Oh, I was looking for...for Liz."

"With a hammer?" Elena asks, her eyes trained on the heavy tool.

"I'm afraid of the woods," Jason replies, his white teeth shining in the night's eerie glow as he smiles sheepishly. "Shall we head back towards the park?"

As Jason looks at Caroline, and then trains his questioning eyes on Elena, Caroline blurs to his back, hitting him on the head with her fist, rendering him unconscious.

Elena gapes at the blonde vampire, and Caroline just states, "We don't have time," before taking off once again.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Tell me, and I'll kill you faster."

Both girls gasp quietly as the Sheriff's voice travels up the underground brick-surrounded cellar. They hear nothing else for a moment before a shot rings out, and they hear a male groan. Elena makes a run down the stairs, and before Caroline startles out of her shock and can catch her, the brunette makes it to the barred door of the cell. Liz looks up, her gun now pointed towards Elena with a flashlight just underneath it, in her other hand.

"Elena? Get out of here, Elena. This isn't a safe place for you!" Liz commands.

Elena doesn't listen, and pushes open the cell door, and makes her way towards Stefan, just as a blur takes down the deputy heading to stop her.

"Hey, hey," she murmurs to Stefan, one of her arm going around his neck from the back, and another around his face, a hand on his cheek. She pulls him towards her, hugging him close, and murmurs sweet nothings into his ears, as her eyes watch Caroline attack the deputies, and reveal herself to her mother, but nothing registers in her mind until Damon's well fed, and dragging Liz out of the underground cellar, Stefan helping Elena towards the outside, as well. She wraps an arm around his waist, and her hand grabs and squeezes Caroline's to console.

Damon heads towards the Boarding house with Liz without so much as a 'bye', and after Caroline assures Stefan that she'll watch over Elena, he heads to the forest to grab a meal. Caroline holds Elena's arm, letting the brunette lean on her, and taking comfort of a loyal friend.

"She hates me," the vampire mutters sadly.

"She just needs time to adjust to it," Elena replies back, squeezing Caroline's hand.

"No, Elena. She really hates me. It's what she's been taught her whole life."

Elena doesn't reply; there's nothing that she could say that would make Caroline feel better, so she opts to only grab her friend's hand, and console her with support and company.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_Motherfucker._

_Mason Lockwood _will_ pay._

_And Stefan says I'm prejudiced? Mason with Katherine, vervain in drinks after Mason talks to Liz, he helped her take me down with stakes and bullets, he let her use his family's underground cellar...all of these things cannot be just coincidences. But would Mason be so obvious?_

_Think of Bambi, think of Isabella. But does she even know the real Mason? She must've been suspicious; that could be the only reason why he's not aware of her location, while I am, and he's known her longer than I have. Why doesn't he know? __What're you doing, Bambi?_

_Why did you want me to tell Jeremy about Tyler? Why couldn't you have Elena do it?_

_When you'd mentioned Katherine, the feeling I'd expected to come hadn't. Where's that disheartening pain that's been present during all the times I thought Katherine was in the tomb? I felt the rejection resurface every now and then, and the pain and dread, and lots and lots of questions roam through my mind, but there's the feeling of...uncertainty and frustration. You tell me to trust you, tell me you know what you're doing, yet you're believing in the one person who is working against Elena, the person you'd originally come to Mystic Falls for, the initial person you'd saved _me_ from the fire for._

_I slide my phone open, and type out one last text and send it, before turning it off and heading down towards the cellar for some preparations for an incoming guest._

Sleep well, Bambi.

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>How was that? <strong>

_It was brought to my attention that not everyone will like the Damon-bits, but I'm not sure how many people don't like it. So let me know in a review if you want me to keep it or stop posting them at the end of all the chapters; majority vote will be put into effect. _

**I have a Facebook page especially for Fanfiction where I'll be posting dialogues from this story as teasers. You can look me up through [**_Corrupt Subduction_**] or click on the link on my profile. I was amazing to talk and get to know you guys!**

_Reviewers will get something special as always! When do you guys want the next chapter? _


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-reader, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_**, for leaving me her thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>Don't bide your time, 'cause it is almost over<br>I know your down and I'll see you around  
>And I know it hurts but you're just getting older<br>I know you'll win, you'll do it once again_

Just yesterday, it always seems like such a dream  
>We're unstoppable, indestructible, nothing happens to our machine<br>And there's no harm, at least nothing we can see  
>As for you, not so true, you couldn't choose where his road would lead<p>

What a loss, you just lost all your sleep  
>And we've always thought that this could never happen, you see<br>That it's so hard, you gotta get up on your feet  
>'Cause the only way I gotta say is to move on through the week<p>

I'm sorry (What's happened to you?)

* * *

><p>Elena walks into the Boarding house, expecting to find Stefan, but instead she sees Damon mixing up some blood and alcohol, not even turning around to greet her.<p>

"Where's Stefan?"

"Hunting Thumper and Bamb-animals," he replies.

Elena's breath hitches. She'd thought Stefan would be here to protect Liz from Damon's wrath... She'd convinced Caroline to spend the night at her house since the blonde vampire hadn't wanted to go to her own house, even though her mother wouldn't be around. Elena had taken her home, and after Jenna's approval, promised to come back home in a couple of hours. Jenna hadn't been harsh, but there had been the subtle reminder that she had barely seen Elena at all for over a week, the reminder that Elena caught on only too fast. Feeling guilty doesn't even begin to cover it. "And Liz?"

"In the cellar downstairs."

"You haven't killed her yet?"

"I wouldn't do that to her."

Elena raises a questioning eyebrow at him.

He ignores her, opting instead to sit down on the single sofa, a glass of blood in his hand. "Have you told Jeremy about Tyler yet?"

"Yes, and it's only made him hang out with Tyler more."

"Fascinating." Damon smirks.

Elena sighs, narrowing her eyes at him. "I don't want Jeremy involved in this, Damon."

"Jeremy's already involved in this by being a Gilbert, Elena."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asks, her eyebrows pulled together.

"Use your head, Elena. John Gilbert was trained to kill vampires. Don't you think his brother would've been trained? Or better yet, wouldn't the legacy be passed onto Jeremy?"

"My father wouldn't have done that," she emphasizes.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I do, Damon. I know that."

He shrugs at her, his face void of emotion.

"Tell Stefan that I'm going home, that I'll see him tomorrow at the Lockwoods."

She turns on her heels without waiting for a comment.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_What do you know about the moonstone? _Damon types and sends to Bella.

"I still can't believe you're letting him get involved," Alaric mutters under his breath.

"He's relentless, like his sister," Damon responds.

"I'm right here and I can hear you."

"Why're you doing this, Jeremy?" Alaric asks.

"Because I want to help!"

"Elena won't like it," Damon comments.

"Tough deal."

"Ohhh, a rebel," Damon snickers out.

Buzz.

"There's a curse sealed in it," Damon reads Bella's text out loud.

"Curse?" Jeremy and Alaric both repeat simultaneously.

Damon thinks for a moment, his brows furrowed before his head snaps up towards Alaric. "Call Vanessa and ask her."

_Surviving without me? _he questions Bella through a text.

"I'd like to be connected through to the Anthropology department, please," Alaric speaks into his cell phone.

Buzz.

_Of course not. ;)_

Alaric gives Damon a questioning look, glancing at the phone in his hand pointedly.

Damon shrugs but doesn't answer, and goes back to his phone, typing, _Still in Forks?_

_Of course not. I'm sitting on top of the Himalayan Mountains meditating. Wanna join me?_

Damon chuckles silently, typing out a response, _Maybe in a few years._

"Hi, I'm looking for Vanessa Monroe from the Folklore unit of Anthropology. Yes, that's fine. I can hold. Thank you."

Buzz.

_It's cold, but the sun's up._

Damon shakes his head in amusement, sparing Alaric a glance before going back to his phone. _How nice._

Buzz.

_Would it help if I say I'm naked?_

Damon's eyebrows shoot up, and he lets out a small noise between a groan and a whimper. Jeremy and Alaric focus on him, both looking confused and curious, giving him a questioning glance.

_Two minutes, _he sends that last text before putting his phone away.

He avoids looking at Jeremy, but instead concentrates on Alaric, his ears catching the entire conversation between Alaric and Vanessa. As Vanessa reads some information to Alaric through the phone, Damon's mind starts clicking dots into place. He tries to deny it at first, but all the things that have happened for the last few weeks are too many to be considered coincidences; that's a fool's result, and he nearly smacks himself for letting them pass it off as such. Before Alaric even ends his call, Damon's dialing on his cell phone.

"Mason Lockwood wants to break the werewolf curse, that's why he wants the moonstone, that's why he came into Mystic Falls," he declares, without waiting for the other to even greet him. Irritation, followed by anger courses through his body, and he forgets everything that has happened before that moment.

_"So you found out about the moonstone curse?" _Bella's voice comes through his phone.

Damon's nose scrunches up a little, as his lips nearly pull back into a snarl.

"Why're you helping him?"

_"Who says I'm helping him?"_ she questions, her voice calm and nearly soothing, but that burning feeling in the pit of his stomach gets the best of Damon.

"I can't believe this. I can't believe I trusted you. Tell me something, _Isabella. _Are you getting something out of this whole ordeal with Mason?"

She doesn't respond for a few moments, but Damon stays on the phone, silent as well, only heavy breaths leaving his body as the anger spreads through his entire body, the feeling of betrayal not far behind.

_"Yes," _she finally answers.

That's all he needs to know. He snaps his phone shut, his fingers gripping the edges tightly, and a small cracking sound reaches his ears just as his phone breaks into pieces and dust. One of his fists flies into the brick wall by the fireplace, leaving behind a hole in the wall, and broken skin and blood all over Damon's fist.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"What's Damon waiting for by keeping the Sheriff locked up?" Elena asks Stefan softly, helping with moving the chairs.

"He wants all the vervain to leave her system. He wants to compel her to forget," he replies, his head down.

"I saw Jeremy earlier. Apparently, there's a 'Damon and Jeremy' team now."

"What?" Stefan asks her, his brows pulled together.

"Jeremy's helping Damon. I don't like it, Stefan."

"You think Damon forced him to help?"

"No, I think he's taking out his anger over me by doing this."

"I'll talk to him later," he assures, squeezing Elena's hip gently in comfort. "I'm going to go talk to Damon," he states, inclining his head towards the lake outside of the Lockwood mansion, where Damon's talking to Bonnie.

Elena nods, and sighs before turning around to help Jenna with the table settings.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"What're you doing here?" Stefan asks Damon, shoving his hands inside his jeans pockets.

"Letting Caroline bond with her mother," Damon replies without turning around, his eyes trained on Bonnie.

Stefan looks between the two, sensing the awkward situation. The last two times Damon and Bonnie had been near each other, she'd been trying to either kill him or inflict pain on him. And with the way Damon was looking at Bonnie, Stefan knew his brother still remembers it fresh as if it happened just seconds ago.

"No, Damon," Bonnie mutters, exasperated.

"I thought you wanted to help the good guys?"

"You're a good guy?"

"No, but I'm trying to get rid of the bad guys right now."

"I said no, Damon."

"Why not? Don't you care for Elena? Is that all a pretense for you?" Damon fires one question after the other, his tone irritated.

Bonnie glares at him.

Stefan steps closer to the two, almost as if stepping between them to keep a them both at a distance from each other.

"What's going on?" he asks softly.

Damon sighs in annoyance, explaining about the phone call Alaric made to Vanessa, and the information about the moonstone and the curse sealed within, keeping out the information about Bella being involved. He doesn't want to think about that at the moment; he'd deal with that when she got back here…that is if she came back. For some reason, even after knowing Bella's involved with whatever Mason had been trying to accomplish, he wants to see her. He justifies to himself it's just the need to ask her why she did that. If what she had told them about her and Elena being connected, then she's got to come back to Mystic Falls…but just how much of what she's said is true?

He jerks out of his thoughts as Stefan explains his own point of view to Bonnie, and he watches in morbid fascination how quickly Bonnie agrees to Stefan's request. She has reason to not trust Damon, after all.

"How do you know Mason has the moonstone?" Bonnie questions, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Tyler told Jeremy."

"Jeremy?" Her eyes widen.

"Didn't you know? He's becoming a true Gilbert," Damon mocks. "Don't you want to help him out?"

"How?"

"Make Mason's head hurt while Jeremy gets his bag."

He lets the two work out the systematic details between themselves, keeping an ear on them, while turning around to face the Lockwood mansion. His eyes flit from person to person, and he finally catches the eye of the person he's been wanting to see.

A smirk forms on his lips and he lifts his hand, waving in a 'hello,' but his mood plummets further as Mason waves back normally, as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened. He growls under his breath, and ignores Stefan and Bonnie, stalking off towards the Lockwood driveway to his car.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"That was successful," Stefan comments, his hands on his hips, watching Damon bound Mason onto the metal chair in their dungeon.

"You should learn never to doubt me, brother," Damon replies with a grunt, trying to keep the leather bindings on Mason as tight as possible.

"Where are Jeremy, Bonnie, and Alaric?"

"Home. They didn't want to be here for this part."

"And what exactly is this part?"

"Torture 101, class of Professor Salvatore."

"Damon—"

"No, Stefan. Don't you dare 'Damon' me right now," he snarls. He uses one of his nails to make a gash into Mason's arm, grabbing a small glass container from the shelf outside of the cellar, getting some drops of blood into it. "Here, you know what, do something useful. Go get Bonnie to do a location spell."

"With blood?"

"Moonstone has a curse, right? Put on by the witches. Mason was last in touch with it, so Bonnie can probably figure out something to do with it."

Stefan contemplates staying, but then a question roams through his head: for what? Does he want to torture Mason? No. Can he stop Damon? No. He shakes his head, and stares at Damon for a few minutes, trying to visualize what his older brother is planning, but knowing Damon and the level of his anger at the moment, it would be a fool's action to come between them. He puts the blood in his pocket, blurring out of the cellar and the house.

Damon blurs to the fireplace in the living room, grabbing a matchbox and a few logs of wood, and then blurs back to the cellar, starting a small fire in the middle of the room, just a few feet away from Mason's unconscious body. He grabs the long, sharp iron bar from the metal instruments from the side of the room, putting it into the fire to heat up.

His arms cross over his chest as he study's Mason's form, from the short, short spiky brown hair to the red cheek from his punch earlier, and then to the back of his head where the hair is caked with dried blood, but the wound is no longer visible, or it's healed.

"Hmm, so you heal quickly," he mutters to himself. He stands in front of Mason, and puts both of his hands on his cheeks. He slaps them lightly, alternating between the left and the right. "Mason, wakey wakey." When Mason doesn't respond, Damon's hands make louder and harder slaps. "Wake up, Pretty boy. Oh, there you are. Good morning."

Damon smirks, his eyes crinkling as Mason startles in his chair, but remains silent, watching curiously and in confusion.

"We can do this the hard way or the easy way," Damon starts, "What do you want with the moonstone?"

Mason's arms try to pull away from the leather straps, and his legs shake his entire being and the chair. "What is this, Damon?"

"You mean you weren't expecting this after your little stunt last night?"

"Stunt? Last night? What're you talking about?" Mason asks, his brows furrowing in confusion.

Damon rolls his eyes, his lips curling over his teeth in distain. "Don't give me that. Telling Liz to put vervain in drinks, you with Katherine, you wanting the moonstone. What do you want with the moonstone?"

Mason begins to stutter, "It was Jason, I was trying to help. I don't know anything else."

Damon sighs loudly. He grabs the heated iron bar, and puts the tip of it on Mason's stomach, cutting off his breathing for a bit as the smell of burning cloth and burning flesh reaches his nose.

Mason lets out a loud roar, his hands curling into tight fists, his veins popping.

"What are you doing?" he screams at Damon.

"Tell me. What do you want with the moonstone?"

"It's for a friend." Damon pulls the iron bar away from Mason.

_Katherine_, Damon thinks. "Katherine. How long have you known her?"

"A year," Mason pants as he tries to recover, his head falling from fatigue.

"What does she want? What is she up to?" Damon growls.

When Mason doesn't answer, so Damon's pale hand shoots out, impaling Mason in the stomach with the heated iron bar.

"Damon?" a voice calls from the living room.

He pulls back the bar, leaving Mason tired, with his chin on his head, trying desperately to catch his breath.

"Why're you here?" Damon questions Jeremy, his arms over his chest.

Jeremy holds up a zip lock bag with dried up dark purple and woodchips-look-alike plant in it.

"Where'd you get those?"

"Alaric. He said some Vanessa gave some to him."

Damon grabs the small bag, immediately pointing to the door. "Leave."

"But—"

"No. You're leaving."

Without waiting for an answer, Damon turns on his heels, going back down to the cellar.

"So, Mason," he begins, shaking the bag to get Mason's attention, a smirk gracing his lips when Mason's eyes widen in fear. "What is Katherine up to?"

"I-I don't kn-know," the wounded man stutters, his eyes pleading with Damon to believe him, to stop the torture.

Damon halters for just one second, Mason's pleading brown eyes reminding him so much of another doe like eyes that he's always admired quietly. Whereas previously, he would've stopped because of the resemblance, Mason's eyes only serve to remind him of the betrayal of trust.

"Alright, so where is the moonstone?"

Mason remains mum, so Damon grabs two or three pieces of plant and shoves them into Mason's mouth, watching with narrowed eyes as Mason screams in pain as the flesh from his tongue and inner cheek burns.

"I'll ask you again. Where is it?"

"The well," Mason breathes out, barely audible.

"What does it do?"

Mason doesn't answer for a few moments, as if trying to find a certain answer. "It lifts the werewolf and the vampire curse."

"What does that have to do with Katherine?"

Mason pauses, in the pretense of catching his breath, but gathers his thoughts. "She's going to help me."

Damon lets out a humorless chuckle. "So naïve. Katherine doesn't care about anyone but herself, Mason. She's going to rip your heart to shreds after she gets what she wants."

"You're just jealous that it's not you she wants, but me!" Mason replies loudly, gaining a ground.

The phone in Mason's pocket rings, and Damon grabs at it, checking the name on the screen.

"Oh, look at that," he replies with a smirk. He answers the phone, "Hello, Katherine."

"Damon? What's Mason doing with you?" Katherine's confused voice comes over the receiver.

"Spilling your secrets, what else?"

"What're you talking about?"

"Your plan, on why you're in Mystic Falls again, why you want the moonstone…just those things, you know," Damon replies, his lips pursing. He grabs the bar again, shoving it into Mason's stomach, making him scream out in pain.

"You shouldn't, Damon."

"Oh really?"

"Let him go, Damon." Her voice takes on a stronger tone, almost demanding.

"Why should I?"

"Listen, is this about rejecting you while I'm with him? Don't let your ego get in the way. Let him go," she demands again.

"Since you don't have the moonstone and Mason does, I'm guessing he didn't trust you very much. Do you even know where it is, Katherine?" Damon mocks.

"You're doing this because I told you I love Stefan and not you, aren't you, Damon? Is this your insecurity? You're doing this because I'm with Mason, because I rejected you," she taunts at him.

Something in those words makes Damon snap. Within seconds, Damon has Mason's heart in his hand with blood covering it all, a gaping hole in Mason's chest. Mason's mouth is open in a silent scream, his eyes wide open.

"Killed him, did you?" Katherine's smooth voice travels to him.

Damon's brows furrow in confusion at her change of tone.

"Good. You saved me from the job and the cleanup," she tells him, her tone smug. "Oh, Damon? Is _Bella_ there right now?" she sneers out the name.

Damon turns on his heels, seeing a frozen Bella just by the cellar door.

Katherine says one last sentence before hanging up, "Tell her she shouldn't have put Mason on my trail."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_Those moments where you know that something isn't right with the picture, but you still do that stupid act in the impulse of the moment aren't as rare as one might think. _

_I wait for you to yell at me, to throw something at me, but you do neither. You just look at me, as if looking at me for the first time in your life, and then you move towards Mason. You drag your feet to him before you fall to your knees in front of him, one of your hand rising slowly towards his cheek. You caress his cheek slowly, softly for just a few seconds before you close his widened eyes with the same hand. _

_You turn your head just a little bit, murmuring out softly in a monotone, "If Katherine needed Mason, she wouldn't have so blatantly showcase it in front of you or Stefan." _

_"Why did you…" I can say nothing more, as I watch you. _

_"The moonstone breaks just one curse, Damon, and that's the curse that binds me to this earth. Mason was trying to protect me." _

_I wait and wait for you to say more, but you don't. You don't even move. My head is spinning, and guilt is slowly traveling up my body. I'd ignored the signs that were right in front of my eyes and once again succumbed to Katherine's will. I let her win. Again. Why does she get the best of me? How does she get to me? My reason to get the moonstone seems completely idiotic at the moment, and it should, because I don't have any solid ground but to keep it away from Katherine. That seems childish, but if I know her well, she's up to something that won't have a good outcome. I'm just trying to convince myself. _

_I walk backwards out of the cellar, slowly walking up the stairs and out the front door. I will myself to focus. I can't lose my concentration right now. _

_I blur through the woods and to the well where Mason's hid the moonstone. I lean into the well with my upper body, trying to smell if there's any vervain in the water. Although there is no trace of vervain, the hair on the back of my head rise as if something is wrong, but then I think about the expression on your face, and I jump in. From the moment my legs come in touch with the water, my arms flail to grab something, anything to keep me away from it, but there's nothing around but bricks surrounding me. My head submerges underneath the water, the burn expanding from the bottom of my body to the top. I can feel my flesh peeling from my body and burning off and the pain prevents me from making any kind of movement. I push myself to get what I jumped in for, but it's hard. The water isn't clear, and the pain is increasing. Soon, I am able to twitch in pain, but that's it. My eyes are closing, and my head is pounding with needles, and my body feels like it's been submerged in fire, and I finally succumb to the weight of it all, going limp. _

_There's a sweet, sweet, thick taste in my mouth, and I instinctively swallow. I hear a sweet voice encouraging me, whispering in my ear to drink, so I do, not even sure of what the content is. _

_When my eyes open next, I see you leaning over me, with your hair and clothes all wet, and your wrist at my throat. I don't hear anything, but I can feel the sigh throughout your body. How'd you find me, Bambi? _

_"That was stupid," you scold. _

_I pull my mouth away from your wrist. "I didn't smell any vervain." _

_"The vervain was coated with wolfsbane to disable the smell," you reply softly, your eyes darkening a bit. _

_I reach into my pocket, pulling out a white oval like stone, putting it in one of your hands. Once again, I want to be able to read your thoughts, to see if you understand what I can't say._

_._

_._

* * *

><p><strong>Please review~ Reviewers, as always, will get something special. <strong>

_This chapter was a little difficult, because I didn't want to leave any significant (to this chapter and the next few) characters out of it, nor did I want to rush the situations, because every action meant something. Like I've mentioned previously, nearly every action will have a purpose, and sometimes, the most insignificant thing might turn out to be the most important, or the answer to many questions. _

**Check out my other Twilight/Vampire Diaries Crossover one-shot, **_Solace**, **_**and leave me your thoughts. I have a Facebook page especially for Fanfiction where I'll be posting some teasers. You can look me up through**** [**_Corrupt Subduction_**] or click on the link on my profile.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-reader, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_**, for leaving me her thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>We are falling in the dark<em>  
><em>I see nothing in your eyes<em>  
><em>I feel lost in my mind<em>

_Now can't you see_  
><em>There's nowhere else I wanna be<em>  
><em>But my hearts telling me to leave<em>  
><em>So I'm freeing myself away<em>

_Our feelings are torn apart_  
><em>To you I gave away my heart<em>  
><em>Body, soul and mind<em>

_Far away, I'm stronger now nothing to say_  
><em>I'm alone and I am free of you<em>  
><em>I'm free of you<em>  
><em>Oh, let me go<em>

* * *

><p>"I did <em>not<em> lie, Damon."

"You said you'd met him in Alaska after his change."

"And I did."

Elena interrupts the two with a question as Damon and Bella glare at each other. "Tell us everything from the beginning, please?"

Bella sighs. She pulls back her slightly curly brown hair into a messy bun before leaning forward and putting her elbows on her knees. "Mason and I _did_ meet in Alaska, after he'd ran in his wolf form all the way from Vancouver."

"What were you doing in Alaska?" Damon butts in.

Bella ignores him. "I found him covered in mud, butt naked, with no idea what had happened to him. I explained the transformation, and he recalled that he'd accidentally pushed his friend too hard which resulted in the death of aforementioned friend. Only, it wasn't accidental."

"Meaning what?" Stefan asks her, confused.

"Katherine was there. He didn't believe me that Katherine was only using him at first, but eventually, he began to notice her attention, and her subtle questions at coming back to Mystic Falls. Katherine knew him _very_ well, and by that I mean she's been "with him"/using him."

"Why would she do that?" Elena questions, cautiously looking at the way Damon's hand gripped his glass of scotch tighter.

"I'll tell you in a second about that. But I think Katherine was the one who drained the Mayor. Think about it; he drinks vervain in everything, and the day after the fire, he was killed. Now who do we know that has gotten used to having vervain in her system?" She cocks an eyebrow.

"Katherine," Stefan mutters with wide eyes.

Bella nods. "Exactly. And that also allowed her to enthusiastically support Mason's return to his home town without appearing suspicious."

"Wait a minute, how do _you_ know that?" Elena asks Stefan in confusion.

"You mean you haven't…?" At Stefan's slow shake of the head, Bella goes quiet, her brows furrowing in near annoyance.

"We'll talk later," Stefan murmurs to Elena, his hand squeezing hers.

She sighs and leans back on the sofa, her legs crossed. Stefan and Elena had come to the Salvatore house in the morning, and were pleasantly surprised to see Bella back. Their momentary happiness had vanished when they saw destroyed pieces of furniture around the living room, and a grumbling Damon nursing a glass filled with auburn liquid. Bella had explained the happenings, from rushing home to trying to save Mason after Katherine's phone call to her, Damon jumping into a well filled with vervain, and Bella feeding him her blood. When Elena had questioned about the grumpy vampire and the destroyed living room, Bella had explained that since she had a small amount of werewolf blood in her, Damon would not be able to drink human blood…he's getting a blood detox.

Elena turns back her attention to Bella. "So why would Katherine use Mason?"

"Easy. Mason had access to the Lockwood family."

Stefan jerks in his seat as things click into place in his mind. "She gave the moonstone to George Lockwood in 1864, didn't she? That's why she used Mason."

Bella gives him another nod. "Right. He was her easy access to the moonstone."

"So how'd he come to be your companion instead of hers?"

"He trusted me. When you help someone, show them the ropes of the supernatural world, a bond forms. It's not unheard of, but I took him under my wings to help him out until he was ready. I was going to leave after he learned the ropes of his new world, but we formed an unusual friendship, and we stayed in touch."

"Unusual?"

"I'm neither vampire, nor werewolf, Stefan. I'm both. It's hard for people to accept me or befriend me because they can't trust me due to my differences in species from them. Mason, however, accepted me with open arms. He never judged me, nor treated me different. He was never suspicious of me. He felt like he owed me, and thus he stayed with Katherine to make sure the moonstone wouldn't get into the wrong hands."

"What's so important about the moonstone?" Elena prompts.

"Do you remember once I told you that if you die, I die?" When Elena nods, Bella continues, "I'm stuck on this earth because of the moonstone. Once the moonstone is destroyed, I will be too."

"But…you'd said you were in Mystic Falls so I would remain unharmed and human," Elena whispers to herself in confusion.

"Correct. Like I've said before, there's a reason you look like Katherine. The moonstone, you, me, Katherine…we're all connected. Mason was helping me keep an eye on Katherine so I'd know where she went. So I would be prepared for whatever she had planned in her mind next."

"He did a poor job of it since Katherine found out," Damon snaps.

"He fooled _you_, didn't he?" Bella glares at him. "Not to mention he's kept her fooled for nearly a year."

Damon opens his mouth to make a sarcastic comment, but a baffled and more than slightly freaked out Caroline comes bursting into the house.

"Where's the fire, Blondie?" Damon asks her, one of his eyebrows raised as he looks at her up and down. "Did your mother try to stake you?"

Caroline lets out a scoff at his words. "I just met Katherine."

Stefan and Damon's reactions are similar; both of their heads snap up to stare at Caroline in surprise and contempt, respectively. The other two occupants stare at the blonde vampire and indicate for her to go on, but she has something near of a panic attack. She tries to get the words out but her throat closes up as if an invisible hand is choking her.

"Caroline?" Elena's worried voice calls out.

"I—I'm fine," the blonde chokes out, sitting on the ground, putting her head between her legs.

Bella gets up from her perch on the sofa's arm rest, and kneels down beside Caroline. She puts a cooling hand on the blonde's forehead and then neck.

"Thanks," Caroline breathes out.

Bella helps her up, and then goes back to her seat. "So what happened?"

"I went to go see Matt." She winces at Stefan's narrowed eyes but continues, "So I was just talking to Matt, but then I saw Elena go into the bathroom looking really, really sad, and I followed, and it took me awhile to notice that the clothes Katherine was wearing were the kind Elena would never wear, and her hair was curly, too, but I didn't notice until too late. When I tried to leave, she threatened me that she'll hurt my mother if I don't give a message out to you."

"You care about your mother all of a sudden?" Damon asks her.

She glares at him. "I've always cared about her."

"Could've fooled me," he comments.

"These last few days…something happened when I was with her in that cellar. We've never talked as much as we did then, we've never bonded until then. Hell, we'd never seen each other more than just a few minutes until you'd locked her in the cellar! She told me…she told me that she's proud of _who_ I've become, even if she doesn't like _what_ I am," Caroline mutters, her body shaking with silent, soft sobs. "I didn't want to compel her to forget, but I had to. And I hated that. And now that I'm trying to spend more time with her, trying to let her get to know me all over again without the vampire-fang insertion thing, Katherine's threatening me."

Elena gets up to stand besides Caroline, her arm going around the blonde vampire's shoulders, squeezing in both support and comfort. "We'll figure something out. Don't worry," she whispers soothingly.

"What message did Katherine send?" Stefan prompts.

"She wants the moonstone."

"And if we don't give it to her?" Damon asks.

"Then she's going to kill Jenna and Jeremy and Matt, and then go on a blood spree on this town."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Alaric smiles at Bella in a small '_thanks'_ as she puts down the last load of weapons from Alaric's car onto the Salvatore dining table.

He glances slyly at Damon who is looking at the array of vervain bombs, trying to open one of the containers and then putting a lid on it when his eyes water from the fumes of the vervain water within them. His eyebrows pull together in amusement as Damon pulls some ninja-like moves to find a good grip and a sufficient way to throw the vervain bombs to get the best results.

He's noticed the tension between the two other occupants in the room, but he says nothing. Damon had already updated him on the Mason situation, and while he understands Damon's action being a little justified due to Katherine pushing him to the brink, he empathizes with Bella more. It's not easy to find someone who understands you to the very core, someone you can trust unconditionally, and someone who will support you without the consequences or the worries of risks at the front of their mind. Mason put his life on the line when he had helped Bella by being with Katherine for over a year; that kind of commitment tells of the trust the two friends had in each other, not to mention the strength of their bond—both their actions speak volumes.

Alaric's shaken out of his reverie as the front door slams behind him, and Stefan stomps in.

"What happened to you?" Alaric questions him.

"Elena's irritated with me."

"What did you do?"

"_Me_? I did nothing…" At Alaric's raised eyebrow, Stefan continues, "Well, I may or may not have intentionally kept some information from her."

"By your expression, I take it Elena didn't take well to your little escapade?" Bella rhetorically asks, coming to stand by the two.

"It was your idea!" Stefan defends weakly.

"What was?" Damon asks, an arrow like lengthy gun strapped to his right arm with two long, sharp stakes attached to the leather cuff.

Stefan sighs, and then groans, rubbing his face with his hands. "I didn't believe Katherine when she told me she didn't compel me to love her. Bella told me otherwise, and told me to keep prompting Katherine about it. So I did. I just didn't tell Elena about it, and now she's mad."

"Bad boy," Damon snarks with a smirk, going back to looking at all the weapons Alaric had lain on the table.

"So you just told her right now and she's mad?" Alaric questions curiously.

Stefan sighs again, and mutters weakly, "I was going to tell her, but Katherine sent the message through Jenna first."

"…What?" Alaric whispers in disbelief.

Stefan nods. "When Elena and I got to her house after dropping off Caroline at Bonnie's, Jenna asked me about the night Mason attacked us. She jokingly said that Elena's not allowed outside after 11pm."

"Does that make any sense?"

"No, but she was compelled. Katherine convinced her to stop drinking the vervain tea."

"She needs to go," Damon comments.

"That's why we're here, aren't we? "Alaric relies, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Where's Bonnie?" Stefan asks.

Bella answers him, "Caroline and Jeremy are bringing her."

"How come Jeremy is involved in this?" Alaric speaks up.

"Because he won't stop inserting himself into any of our plans," Damon starts.

"Instead of him putting himself in danger, we can keep an eye on him this way," Bella adds, giving Damon a look.

They all turn towards the door as Caroline walks in, Jeremy and Bonnie right behind her.

"What's going on?" the witch asks.

"We're gonna kill Katherine," Jeremy declares.

Bonnie's eyebrows shoot up, and she looks at all the serious faces surrounding her, expecting someone to explain or to at least elaborate.

"How?"

"Stakes, vervain, your witchy powers." Damon smirks, his eyes crinkling on the sides. He steps closer to Bella and murmurs softly to adjust the leather strap on the stake trigger.

Bonnie crosses her arms over her chest, her eyes staring a hole into the back of Bella's head, but Bella doesn't turn to look at her, and instead helps adjust the straps on Damon's arm, just below his elbow.

"Why don't you get Angela to help?" Bonnie asks adamantly.

"She's helping my dad with an experiment," Bella replies casually.

Stefan and Damon share a look of curiosity, and Damon makes a mental note to ask her later on about that.

Bonnie frowns, the incident with Stefan still fresh on her mind. She's been Elena's friend for all her life, and when she had been willing to help out her friend's vampire boyfriend, she'd been cast aside. The little voice at the back of her mind tells her it had been for the best, as it was a matter of Stefan's life.

"What do you need me to do?"

"She's going to be at the Masquerade Ball tonight at the Lockwoods," Caroline starts. Before she can continue, Bonnie interrupts.

"You're going to kill her in public?" she asks in disbelief. "It's too dangerous."

"Which is where you come in," Damon states.

"We need you to do a spell to trap her within a room, sort of like the tomb spell," Stefan requests. "Please, Bonnie. We need you."

Bonnie looks at all the faces before pausing her eyes on Stefan for more than a few seconds. "Okay, as long as no one gets hurt."

"Only Katherine's going to get staked tonight," Damon states firmly.

"Great!" Caroline squealed. "Who's doing what, now?"

Bella drifts away from the group, but keeps an ear on them. She sits down on the sofa apart from them, examining one of the wooden stakes; perfectly round, smooth with splinters, and a sharp, pointy edge. She pokes her finger a bit too hard accidently, her mind on other things, and whispers a soft "Ouch."

She looks over to her right as she feels the heat of another body and the dip of the sofa cushion.

"What's wrong?"

"Just thinking," she replies.

"A penny for your thoughts, then?" Damon requests softly.

Bella smiles humorlessly. "With all the secrets in my mind, with all the places I've been, you'd think I'd have more people to trust." She turns to look at him, her eyes betraying the strength she's always shown, and displaying a little vulnerability.

"What're you getting at, Bambi?" He brushes his elbow against her arm gently, prodding to get a look into her mind.

"Nothing," she murmurs. "I just miss Charlie."

His eyes travel all over her face before pausing at her eyes, a hand lifting as if to touch, or caress her cheek just before Caroline interrupts them, her smile entirely too innocent to believe. He settles for laying his hand on top of hers on her knee, squeezing in comfort, ignoring Caroline. She calls for him once again before huffing and stomping towards the sofa opposite of the duo, flopping down gracefully.

Damon ignores her again and turns to Bella. "You're all in for the plan tonight, right?" he asks her casually.

Bella's head snaps up to look at him, her expression void of any emotion, but her eyes are a different story entirely. "You don't trust me." It isn't an accusation, but a statement.

Damon purses his lips and makes a small noise at the back of his throat. "It's not that. I just need to know you'll pull through all the way today."

"Like I always don't, right?" she questions him, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

He lets out a sigh. "That's not what I mean, Isabella. And you know it."

"I know. I'm just on the edge," she confesses, not offering an apology. "Here," she adds, getting out the white oval stone from her skinny jeans' pocket and handing it over to him.

He stares at her. "Why're you giving me this?"

"To keep it safe. My life's in your hands, Damon."

Actions speak louder than words.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Bonnie and Jeremy arrive first at the Lockwood mansion. Jeremy, wearing a black suit with a black and grey stripped tie, carries a black bag stealthily upstairs, away from Carol Lockwood's eyes as Bonnie greets her, his royal black mask not hiding his identity well enough.

"The house looks amazing," she compliments sincerely.

"Thank you, dear," the widow beams in the attention, her own eyes traveling to admire the dark red drapes all over the pillars around the house, and big maroon bows hanging around the walls.

Bonnie slips upstairs as Carol goes back to greeting the incoming guests, slipping on her half mask with brown, red, black, and white designs, tying a semi-tight knot just where her curled hair is pulled back with a small hair clip. She mentally curses her high heels as she nearly slips on the marble stairs, her tight grey dress not helping her move faster. Her hand holds the big grey and brown rose on the upper left of her strapless dress down close to her skin to avoid it hitting her in the chin.

Caroline arrives next, with Stefan, her tight and ruffled one-shoulder red dress clashing with his all black attire.

She takes a deep breath. "Now what?" she whispers to Stefan.

"Now we wait for Bonnie to let us know when the room is ready. Can you keep an eye on Matt? Katherine's had her eyes on him."

Caroline lets out a possessive growl under her breath, but puts her golden half mask over the top half of her face, trying to avoid the glitter from the design from falling into her eyes. She mentally curses for not getting a strapping mask since one of her hands is now occupied in holding up the mask to her face. She shakes her curled hair and wills herself to relax, before putting on a grin and moving through the busy bodies to find Matt.

"Hello, brother," Damon quips, a pure black butterfly mask over the top half of his face.

"Damon," Stefan comments, tying up his own maroon half mask.

They remain silent, and unmoving, as they hear small ruffles behind them, alerting them to Katherine's presence.

"Hello, boys."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"So you just have to read off of the spell book and poof, magic happens?" Jeremy sits in awe besides Bonnie as she gets ready to do the closure spell, the weapons already hidden in their spot in various places in the room.

"No, Jer. It's more complicated than that. I have to use my power, and my energy."

"What happens when you exhaust yourself?" he asks cautiously.

"I weaken, and sometimes my nose starts to bleed. That's the sign before I pass out."

"What happens when you overwork yourself too much?"

"I know my limits."

"But…hypothetically," he responds, trying to appear casual. His curiosity gets the best of him, and a small bead of sweat forms just on his forehead, and he bites his bottom lip.

"Then I suffer through the fate my Grams did," she informs him softly, putting candles around herself.

He remains quiet for a moment. "You don't want to be doing this."

"Of course not."

"Then why do it?"

"Because I don't want Elena to get hurt, nor anyone else. So I'm trying to help get Katherine…uh, under control, because I don't know how to stay out of it."

Bonnie closes her eyes, chanting a spell under her breath, and the candles light on, their flames jumping higher and higher as her spell comes to a closure. Within seconds, she's done, and blowing out the candles, clearing everything off of the table.

"The room's ready; let's go tell Stefan and Damon."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"What is going on, Ric?" Elena asks him reverently, stepping into the kitchen to get away from Jenna's earshot.

"Elena…"

"I don't want excuses. You've practically kept me on house arrest, and I wanna know why."

Alaric sighs, his right hand going up to his forehead, rubbing gently. "Stefan and Damon are going to kill Katherine tonight."

"What?" she breathes out, her mind going numb.

"She's at the Masquerade Ball right now."

"I have to go there. I have to go," she whispers, her hands moving frantically on the kitchen ground able, as if unable to make up her mind as to what she's looking for.

"You'll only be in danger if you go there," Bella's calming voice rings from behind her.

"But I can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"Why not?"

Elena stares at her. "Because…because they're putting themselves in danger because of me!"

"This a lot more than just you, Elena," Bella soothingly replies. "Besides, you'll only distract them from their task if you go there. Would they be killing Katherine or making sure you were okay?"

Elena frowns, Bella's words making sense in her mind, yet not. Bella's right…if she went there, the rest would also try to keep her out of harm's way and that would distract them, and might allow Katherine to gain the upper hand. But they're risking their lives for her and the town, and there's no way she's going to sit at home while they're out there. She'd rather be watching, or stay close to them; it's better than sitting at her house worrying about them.

Bella sees the dilemma and the fight of emotions on Elena's face. She crosses her arms over her chest, sharing a look with Alaric.

"Maybe you should take her," Alaric suggests gently. "I'll stay here with Jenna."

Elena nods a few times at Alaric's suggestion, unable to say anything else in her favor.

"I'm driving and you stay close to me," Bella states firmly. Elena grins at her, and heads towards the door. Bella pauses slightly to whisper to Alaric jokingly, "You just want to be alone with Jenna."

He smiles at their retreating figures. Jokes are good for the heart, especially during the time when it's beating rapidly at the wait for some news.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The girls reach the Lockwood mansion in record time with Bella's driving.

"Stay close to me."

Elena nods, not even annoyed at the repeated command. "Where are they?"

They step into the house, immediately going into the dining table room, and then out the patio door to the gardens.

"Jeremy! Bonnie!" Both of them turn in shock to see Elena.

"You weren't supposed to be here," Bonnie states.

"And you shouldn't have been doing this without me."

"Where did you set up?" Bella cuts in.

"Upstairs, last room."

Bella nods at Jeremy in '_thanks_,' and turns to Elena. "Stay with them, okay?"

She moves swiftly upstairs, her jeans and black sweater making her stand out amongst the colorful dresses and masks.

"What games are you guys playing now?" Katherine's voice tinkles to her ears, and she speeds to a blur when out of eyesight of the guests on the first floor.

Bella stays outside of the room, knowing the wall won't affect her, but not wanting to be spotted by Katherine just yet. She'd let the boys have their fun.

"We're just ending the one you started, Katherine," Stefan replies evenly.

"You're really going to try to kill me?"

"Try? We _will_," Damon responds, the stake in his hand already lodged into Katherine's back.

Just as Katherine lets out a yelp of surprise, Bella feels the pain in her upper right back, just where the stake had lodged into Katherine, and her sweater feels warmer than it should, and wet. Her hand goes to her back, her fingers coming in contact with the wet area, and she brings her hand to the front again, her eyes widening as she sees the tips of her fingers colored crimson.

Another pinch of pain passes through her left arm, and the area surrounding the wound feels wet.

Her head snaps up to try to catch one of the boys attention, trying to warn them. If she's hurt, she's certain it's because of some witchy connection Katherine had arranged to secure herself to Elena.

Damon catches her eye just as he's about to lodge another stake into Katherine's stomach, but he halts at the sight of her bloodied fingers, and Katherine takes advantage of his distraction by taking the stake and jamming in into Damon's stomach. He groans in pain, but his eyes are trained on Bella. He moves towards her, and as Katherine turns to look, Bella quickly straightens up, standing in a position where her hands are safely hidden from Katherine's view. It would be a fool's action to let the crude vampire know of Bella's connection to Elena.

"Are you—" Damon's cut off by both Bella and Jeremy, who comes sprinting upstairs and by them.

"Elena's hurt. Whatever you do to Katherine is happening to Elena, too."

The stake in Stefan's hand crumbles under the intense pressure of his fingers and his eyes mush together in frustrations. Not only could they not kill Katherine, but they were also stuck with her within the room.

Damon's wound heals, surely but slowly due to his human blood detox still in progress. He mouths to Bella, "Are you okay?"

She gives him a slight nod, her eyes staring a hole into Katherine.

"Nice of you to join us, Ms. Swan." Katherine smirks, before she dramatically gasps. "Or should I call you Mrs. Masen?"

Bella rolls her eyes at her, not giving away the emotional conflict going on in her head.

Katherine, dissatisfied with Bella's lack of reaction turns to Damon and Stefan. "You think you're the only ones with a witch on their side?" She flops down on the couch gracefully, relaxing and looking the picture of smug. She grabs one of the stakes from the table. "This is really gonna hurt." She points it towards her stomach, and just as she's about to pierce her skin, Damon blurs to her, taking the stake away from her hands.

"Aw. You came here with the intent of killing me, and now you're keeping me from harms way. So sweet," she says in an overly sweet tone. "So where's the moonstone?"

"What do you want with it anyway?"

"The Damon I knew would do anything for me," she pouts.

"That Damon's dead."

"Tell me, does Elena like this Damon? Or would she have liked the polite and nice Damon?"

Silence.

"You know, whatever I feel, she feels." Katherine gets up and stands close by with Damon, her finger leaving a familiar trail from his strong jaw-line covered with stubble down his throat, to his collar bone, and left and right, left and right just inside his cuff. "If you were to kiss me right now, she'd feel that, too."

Damon brings his hand up to Katherine's wrist, his fingers tightening around her skin. She feels a grin threatening to take over on her face as he begins to give in, but the shock is apparent on her face when he pushes her away. "What do you want with the moonstone?" he repeats his question.

Katherine sighs. "It belongs to me."

"How so?" Damon cocks an eyebrow.

"It was mine before I bargained with George Lockwood," she mutters in distain as she pokes a finger through her tight black netted dress, which now has a hole in it. She adjusts the black belt on her waist to get more comfortable, enjoying the identical looks of frustration on both Stefan's and Damon's faces.

"Stolen possessions do not become yours, Katherine," Bella comments from outside the room.

"Yeah, I remember you telling me that when I turned Edward."

Bella's eyes tighten just a tiny bit for a second, but enough to make Katherine smirk, having gathered fresh flesh to torture.

"Did she ever tell you what happened to Edward? How he died? How he _begged_ for me to kill him?" Katherine coos out, and she has her desired effect. Bella immediately closes her hand around Katherine's throat, not pushing against her air pipe, but keeping her in place.

"Don't you dare, Katherine. You remember what happened that night, don't you? I'm sure you still have scars to remind you." Katherine winches at Bella's tone and voice, the remembrance of the pain and scars all too fresh on her mind.

"Isabella," Damon comes up behind her, trying to get her to let go of Katherine. Stefan stands on the other side to keep Katherine in place.

"What happened to you, Isa? We used to be good friends," Katherine exclaims, going back to her perch on the sofa.

"_Used to_ being the keywords."

"You two were good friends at some point?" Damon asks in disbelief, not believing his ears.

Katherine nods with a grin. "I saved her once when she got drunk."

"You're able to get drunk?" Stefan asks curiously.

"She'd drank so much that night," Katherine starts.

"I needed to forget," Bella adds.

"What did you save her from?" Stefan prompts.

"She almost ended up in a rusty hotel room with a guy who told her to call him "Big boy."

Stefan and Damon both have a comical expression on their faces, not knowing whether to laugh or to be incredulous.

Bella nods, affirming Katherine's story.

"I've missed you, you know," Katherine tells her softly.

"I can't say the same," Bella starts.

"I was only trying to help…both times."

"What the fuck is going on?" Damon blurts out, exasperated.

When Katherine gives Bella a questioning look, Bella shrugs, in no particular hurry, nor mood to tell the story.

"I met her long time ago. Centuries ago. She helped me with someone, and I…"

"In her typical Katherine like behavior, she betrayed me," Bella finishes.

"I only had good intentions in mind when I changed Edward, though, I swear. I was only trying to help," Katherine mutters weakly.

"He didn't want to become a vampire, and you found that out later, too."

Stefan and Damon look from one to another, as both the females bounce the storylines between themselves.

Bella sits down on the couch, putting her head into her hands. "He was miserable. He nearly killed a man during his first feed for the transformation, and he loathed himself for that, for becoming a _monster_, he'd said. Edward was always so perspective," Bella whispers. "He said he could hear the man's thoughts, he could feel the life leave his body, and that destroyed him completely. He begged for me to kill him. I couldn't do that to him, I just couldn't…" Bella trails off, her head still buried in her hands.

"So I killed him for her," Katherine finishes, her expression void of any emotion.

The clock on the wall ticks as the room is filled with silence, none of the occupants knowing what to say.

Stefan turns to Katherine. "Why Mason, though?"

Katherine raises an eyebrow. "You mean Isa hasn't told you? Oh, right, I forgot. They have to figure it out themselves…when _time's_ right."

"You need a werewolf to break that curse, don't you? That's why you had Mason trigger the curse," Damon whispers, connecting the dots.

"He's not going to be the only werewolf in town," she replies with a smirk. "You know, you're making me miss a wonderful party."

"I'm _so_ sorry," Damon replies back sarcastically.

"I'm starting to like this side of yours, Damon. The sarcastic, bad boy image, and the 'I don't give a fuck' attitude," Katherine purrs, running her heel clad foot up his calf. He throws her off of him, tempted to drive a stake through her, but the thought of Bella or Elena being in pain because of that is enough to halt his line of torture-inflicting thoughts.

"Katherine?" a deep feminine voice calls out from behind them. "The spell's broken, you can leave now."

"Thanks, Lucy." Katherine grins as she sees the moonstone in Lucy's hand.

"When I hand this over, my debt to you is over, I'll owe you nothing," Lucy replies firmly, her crème colored mask abandoned on the floor by her black heel clad feet.

"Give it," Katherine demands.

Damon steps closer to the two. "I wouldn't do that."

Lucy ignores him, and hands the moonstone to Katherine. As Katherine's fingers grip the oval stone tightly, her body jerks and freezes up, and her throat closes, unable to further breathe.

Damon looks quickly at Bella and seeing she's safe, nods at Stefan to carry on with the plan, both brothers ignoring the witch standing by the door, her expression a mixture of surprise and horror as her beady eyes stare at Bella.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_I had anticipated feeling shock at how your husb-at how _Edward_ died, but I think I'm more shocked at the fact that you and Katherine were once friends, Bambi. _

_I've let her rule my life for more than a century and that's saying a lot. This obsession has to stop, and it's because of Mason that I realize this. With the hold that Katherine has over me isn't safe for neither me, nor anyone else. I'm going to try, and I know I'll be able to free myself of her hold someday. One day. _

_You know everything there is to know about all the mysteries of Mystic Falls, and more. Why won't you tell us? Why won't you share them with _me_? I have so many questions, and you know the answers. Why does the time have to be right, and why do we have to find out about them rather than you telling us? Why are my questions increasing as the days go on?_

_I'll get my answers soon, Bambi, and that's a promise. For now, I have a moonstone to hide. _

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading. Leave me a review for writing such a long chapter?<strong>

_Bella's past is definitely going to unravel with each chapter as we move forth! I have some completely messed up situations and moments of how Bella came to be attached to Elena, and the Originals brewing in my mind. _

**Check out my other Twilight/Vampire Diaries Crossover one-shot, **_Solace**, **_**and leave me your thoughts. I have a Facebook page especially for Fanfiction where I'll be posting some teasers. You can look me up through**** [**_Corrupt Subduction_**] or click on the link on my profile.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-readers, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel___TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake__**, for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>Frail and dry <em>_  
>I could lose it all<br>But I cannot recall  
>It's all wrong<br>Don't cry  
>Clear away this hate<br>And we can start to make it alright  
>So fly away<br>And leave it behind  
>Return someday<br>With red in your eyes_

_I see you_  
><em>Cause you won't get out of my way<em>  
><em>I hear you<em>  
><em>Cause you won't quit screaming my name<em>  
><em>I feel you<em>  
><em>Cause you won't stop touching my skin<em>  
><em>I need you<em>  
><em>They're coming to take you away<em>

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Excuse me," Lucy mumbles quietly, her eyes still trained on Bella. She apologies for her involvement, and quickly makes her exit, but not before glancing one last time at the brunette vampire.

Katherine, still withering on the floor, the moonstone in her hand disappearing as the spell wears out, and the other hand clutching at her throat, whimpers, her eyes pleading with Damon's to help her, but he does nothing. He grabs her around the waist, hauls her over his shoulder and moves out of the door fast. Stefan stays behind with Bella, knowing she'd want to be over at the tomb soon enough.

"What happened?" he asks her, his hand wrapping gently around her elbow.

"The connection spell. It hurt Elena, so it hurt me."

"Is it supposed to do that?"

"No, it's not," Bella mumbles. "But I'll figure it out, I just need to talk to someone about it." She smiles gently at him to reassure him, before stepping out of his grasp and walking out the door. She pauses for a moment and turns back to him, saying, "Elena should be fine now; healed. Go to her." With that, she's out the door, and disappears completely from his view.

Stefan quickly cleans up the room, and then takes his time making his way downstairs, his thoughts jumbled. Did they do the right thing by letting Katherine stay alive? Would it not be safer to have killed her? He thinks back to Damon's words of keeping the crude vampire alive, and at that time, his brother's words hadn't made sense. He'd thought Damon only wanted to keep Katherine alive because of his feelings for her, but he cannot deny that the information Katherine knows would be useful to them, that _she'd_ be useful to them. Taking one last glance over at the room to make sure everything's in its rightful place, he moves downstairs.

He finds Elena sitting on the round stature of the small fountain in the Lockwood's driveway. He rushes to her.

"Are you okay?" he asks, his hands covering hers.

"Stefan," she breathes out in relief. "I'm okay, fine. Bonne helped me, and I think it's healing."

"We should go to the doctor," he starts, trying to gather her up, but she twists away from him.

"Where's Katherine? Damon? Bella?" she fires her questions fast.

"Katherine's gone. Damon and Bella are okay, too," he replies.

"Where?"

"To the tomb. They're putting Katherine there."

"Damon's not killing her?" The surprise in Elena's voice is evident.

"No. He thinks she might know some things," he says. "We need to get you to a doctor, Elena."

"Fine," she concedes.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Before Katherine's eyes even flutter open, her fingers try to clutch at the moonstone, only to grasp at nothing but the air. She lets out a gasp, her eyes opening wide. As she puts her hands on the ground to help her get up, the hard, sandy earth she feels underneath her fingertips takes her mind to the memory when the church was lit on fire, having only seen the tomb but never felt.

She jerks to a standing position, her eyes glancing around at the dark cave like place in disdain, with the only source of light coming from a small door like opening. She walks slowly towards it, trying to step out, but it's as if an invisible wall is keeping her hostage, causing her to into an air like force.

"Katherine," a voice echoes gently in the underground cave.

"Damon," she sighs. "Where am I?"

"Where you should've been all along. You shouldn't have messed with a Bennett witch," he replies in a monotone. He walks closer to the entrance of the tomb, tilting his head as if trying to figure out what was going on in Katherine's mind.

"Why didn't you kill me when Lucy lifted the spell?" she questions, her tone bitter.

"It would've been too kind to you." He grabs the stone door, picking it up just a few inches from the ground, moving it towards the open area of the tomb.

"No, Damon, don't! Damon, Damon, you can't. You need me. Elena's in danger," Katherine blurts out in a rush.

He pauses. "From whom?"

She doesn't answer, trying to gather her thoughts to still have some leverage.

"You're lying," he states, the stone wall beginning to cover Katherine.

Her eyes move behind him as she sees Bella rush in. She's about to smirk when Bella pushes Damon to the side with a growl, but can do nothing except widen her eyes and open and close her lips without a sound, like a fish, as Bella's eyes darken to a black color, her hand closing around Katherine's throat.

Damon yells out her name, and is about to step into the tomb when Bella stops him, telling him to stay there.

Katherine's lips lift up to a smile as she feels the sharp edges of the tomb walls on her back. "Stuck with me now," she chokes out. Bella's hand tightens on her throat and the pissed off vampire brings Katherine forth a little and then pushes her back into the tomb wall. "Who knows about Elena, Katherine? Who else have you told?"

Katherine coughs and sputters, trying to gain enough breath to answer.

"What's going on?" Damon demands from the tomb doorway.

"Elena's gone," Bella replies. "Go, Damon. Go help Stefan."

"But…"

"Go. Now," Bella commands.

He takes a few steps backwards, looking at Bella and she holds Katherine by the throat. He smells it before he sees it, Katherine's blood trailing down on the tomb wall behind her. Bella turns to look at him, her eyes commanding him to leave.

He turns and blurs outside, running towards his house. The last thing he hears is Katherine's scream of pain.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Stefan clutches at his hair, mutter under his breath. His head snaps up towards the door, hoping it's Elena, but when he sees Damon, he goes back to his near fatal stance.

"What's going on?" Damon demands.

"Elena's missing."

"She's not at home?"

"Yeah, Damon. She's at home and we're all just gathered here for no reason," Stefan mutters back sarcastically.

Damon nearly grins.

"Buffy," he greets Jeremy. "Witchy, Blondie…why're you so pacy, Blondie?"

Caroline stumbles as Damon questions her, her eyes going towards Stefan for a moment. "Uh, Tyler might've killed someone and now he's a werewolf?" she fires off rapidly.

"Who?"

"Sarah. And Aimee Bradley's missing, so everyone's also looking for her."

"How'd that happen?"

"I think Katherine compelled them because Matt was also there and he kept provoking Tyler to get mad at him and try to hit him and after Sarah died, Matt just sort of blacked out and didn't remember anything, and we did take away Katherine's werewolf, so I think she's the one who planned this so Tyler would be a werewolf now, and I already told his mom that it was an accident," she rushes out without taking a breath.

Damon gives her a look, and is about to ask someone else when Stefan suddenly turns to them.

"This has to be Katherine's work. Who else could it have gotten?"

"She's locked in the tomb, Stefan. And we've been with her when Katherine was outside, safe."

"_Is_ she in the tomb, Damon?" Stefan asks her, his brows furrowed in question.

"What are you getting at? Of course she's in the tomb. Isabella's there with her," Damon snarls. "Now, do you mind telling me what happened?"

"I was going to take her to the doctors because of the wounds, but I heard Caroline scream, so I told Elena to go wait inside her car. When I came out, she wasn't there," Stefan recalls.

"She wasn't in her bed, and her bed wasn't slept in," Jeremy adds in.

"She said something, I thought she was lying," Damon mumbles to himself. At the questioning look from everyone else, he continues, "Katherine said Elena's in danger…" Damon trails off.

"And you didn't think to ask her about it?" Bonnie asks him, her tone berating.

"I did, but she didn't answer. Look, everything she says is a lie. Why should we believe her now?"

"I need to go talk to her." Stefan moves towards the door and as he opens it, Bella pushes her way in, dragging Stefan with her.

"You can't do that," she states.

"Why not?"

"Because knowing how much you love Elena, Katherine's going to use that against you, and find a way to get out, and then she's going to kill you. It's as simple as that for her."

"I really don't care."

"She doesn't know where Elena is. Trust me on this."

"It's Katherine. She's bound to know something!"

Bella grasps his face gently in her hands, forcing him to look at her. "Katherine's not involved in Elena's abduction this time, Stefan. Trust _me_. I wouldn't be telling you this unless I was sure."

He calms down slightly after a few minutes, and Bella takes her hands off his face. "So what do we do?"

Bonnie answers in a low voice, "I can probably do a tracking spell."

"How does that work?" Damon asks.

"I need a map, candles, and…" she pauses, looking at Jeremy. He raises his eyebrows at her. "Your blood. You and Elena are related, so it makes the connection stronger"

Jeremy answers without hesitation, "I'll do it."

Bella and Stefan gather the candles and a map, respectively. Bonnie sets out the candles in a circle around the map, and cuts Jeremy's hand, his blood falling on the map. The witch closes her eyes, first casting a spell to light the candles and then to start tracking Elena's location. The rest watch in a complete silence and fascination as the blood makes a trail towards Georgia, stopping just a few miles from it.

"She's there. That's the best I can do," Bonnie mumbles, her eyes opening.

"300 miles away," Jeremy reads it out.

Stefan grabs his keys, ready to go out when Jeremy calls out, "Wait, I'm coming with you."

"You can't. You're not," Stefan replies, a finger pointing at him.

"Look, I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"You can't go alone."

"He's not going to be alone," Bella says, garnering the attention of everyone.

"You're going?" Bonnie asks her, her eyebrows raised.

"No, I have somewhere else to be. But he's going," Bella clarifies, indicating to Damon, who's lost in thought.

"Are you?" Stefan asks his brother.

Damon shakes himself out of his reverie, glancing momentarily at Bella. "Am I what?"

"Going with me."

Damon doesn't hesitate, his eyes still on Bella. "Let's go."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"A bomb grenade; how neat," Damon admires the little glass bottle.

"How much further?"

"80 miles. Speed up, Grandma."

"I'm going as fast as I can."

"Sure you are."

Damon puts away the bottle and instead gets a blood bag from the bag, ripping off the straw-like panel from the port, and sipping happily from it, before he remembers how the human blood reacts to Bella's blood too late, and he coughs and sputters as the sip he took burns as it goes down his throat.

"Who do you think took her?" Stefan questions, his left leg bouncing slightly.

"Someone who thought it was Katherine."

"But they got Elena instead."

Damon pauses. "Or maybe not," he mutters. "When Isabella was with Katherine earlier, she asked who else knows about Elena."

The brothers share a look. "So they took Elena, why?"

"Moonstone. Katherine, Elena, Isabella, the moonstone. Someone else who knows about that could've taken her."

"But if that was it, wouldn't Bella tell us?" Stefan questions helplessly, speeding up.

"She won't. We need to find out ourselves," Damon murmurs back bitterly.

Stefan glances at Damon through the corner of his eye. "Thank you."

Damon says nothing, instead turning to look out the side of his window.

"Do you have another blood bag back there?" Stefan questions.

"No, why? You want some?" Damon teases. "It's okay, Stefan. Your bunny blood will keep you rejuvenated, and I've got your back, brother." He slaps Stefan's shoulder gently.

"No, I'm serious."

Damon raises his eyebrows, but hands him the blood bag nonetheless, and pouts. "I'm not supposed to be the brooding one, you are." He watches intently as Stefan takes a sip of the thick liquid, and Damon's eyebrows move towards his hairline as his brother doesn't react like he normally would towards the taste of human blood.

"Bella taught me how to keep control."

"When?"

"When she was out of town." Stefan turns to face Damon momentarily, a smirk on his lips. "You're not the only one who texted her."

"How did you learn the control?"

"To think of Elena. Elena's helping me through it." Damon raises his eyebrows, indicating for Stefan to go on. "I'm feeding from Elena, Damon."

Damon lets out a low whistle, turning to look out the window. "How _romantic_. So the whole, 'love her too much to hurt her' thing works?"

"Now we're getting somewhere," Stefan replies.

"Hmm?"

"Why'd you agree to help me?"

Damon doesn't look at him. "Would you rather I back out?"

"Come on, Damon. You don't listen to what others ask of you, yet you listen to whatever Bella tells you to do. Why?"

Damon's head snaps towards his brother, his eyes hard and refusing. "What does Isabella have to do with any of this?"

"Did you know I was in one of my ripper modes when I saved Elena?" Damon remains silent. "I took one look at her, and something changed. I don't know what, and I still don't know, but something did, and I decided that I would be better."

"That's too bad. I liked that guy who ripped someone apart just for the fun of it."

"He's gone. He found someone to be worthy of, someone to live for."

Damon narrows his eyes at Stefan. "Spit it out. You're dying to say more."

"I think you've found the same in Bella."

"Hold the bow and arrow; you're really bad at being Cupid. The only reason I came with you was because if I hadn't, you would've gotten your ass kicked."

"Typical Damon style: 'Let's avoid the subject'."

Damon rolls his eyes. "Turn right there. Jeremy's texted said the abandoned house is pretty close by. We'll need to go on foot. We need a method."

"What kind of method?"

"We have to be fast, quiet, and efficient. Whoever's in there is over 500 years old if they were once after Katherine, so they're a lot stronger than us."

"Let's go."

"We may not come back out," Damon warns.

"Afraid?"

"No, but I'm giving you a chance to back out, Stefan."

"I back out, I die. I go in, I die. I can't find a better reason than Elena to die for."

They share a look, as if seizing the other up and making sure both are all in. Their reason to go into the house is the same: to save Elena, but there's something more for one of them.

"Let's go, then."

Stefan cuts off the engine and gets out of the driver's seat. Damon gives the nearly full blood bag in the cup holders a longing look before following Stefan. They both grab a few stakes and vervain grenades, storing them inside their jean and jacket pockets, trying to keep the sharp tip of the wooden weapons away from their skins.

They both blur towards the house hunched, trying to stay as quiet as possible. Damon signals Stefan to go around the house as they both try to get a feel of the best way to grab Elena and escape. Damon's lips curl downwards in disdain at not knowing who they're facing.

Stefan comes up to from the other side of the house, lifting up two fingers indicating the number of people inside the house.

Damon lifts his chin towards the window on the second floor of the house, with the open glass. Stefan nods at him in understanding. He grabs a stake in one hand, bends at the knee, and makes a jump towards the window, lightly grabbing onto the sides of the window panes, making his way in. He takes a look around the stairway, crouching on the steps to take a look into the living room of the first story. He sees two pairs of feet, a female and a male discussing Katherine. He doesn't see Elena, but her necklace lies on the floor by the stairs. He looks out to the window to tell Damon, but Damon's disappeared from the front lawn.

Stefan shakes his head, purposely putting extra weight on his right foot, pressing on the wood hard enough to make it creak. The first floor falls silent immediately. He blurs up the second set of stairs, pressing his back against the wall to prevent anyone from sighting him.

"Who's is up there, Rose?" he hears a voice ground out in annoyance.

"No one, I swear I don't know who it is," a women's voice replies in a tremble.

As a pair of feet makes their way up the first set of stairs, Damon calls out from the living room. "Down here."

Elijah's head spins around to look downstairs, but all he sees is Rose with a stake through her stomach and Elena gone. He growls, and Stefan throws the stake in his hand in super speed towards Elijah, but the man in the tux catches it.

"I want the girl," he growls. "I'm going to count to three before I behead you with my bare hands."

As he gets to 'two', the sound of loud footsteps reaches his ears. He turns to look at Elena, standing at the bottom of the stairs. As he takes a step to make his way downstairs, Stefan's body collides with his, tumbling them both downstairs, and Damon grabs Elena around the waist, hauling her out of sight before twisting Elijah's hand so that the stake he's holding is lodged into the original vampire's own heart.

Stefan tries to catch his breath and winces as he feels a small piece of wood lodged into his back. Before he can try to take it out, Damon's already plucked it out.

"Thanks," he says, looking at Elijah's puckered and grayed skin with veins protruding on every visible surface, his chin lolled onto his chest.

"Don't mention it. Let's go."

For the first time since he can remember, Damon's arms felt empty as Stefan hugs Elena to him tightly in relief.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Damon, Stefan, and Elena burst into the Salvatore mansion, and everyone in the room sigh with relief, just before Damon heads straight to Bella, standing so close to her that their noses were practically touching. The tension in the room exhilarates as Elena embraces first Jeremy and then Bonnie, but everyone's breath catches in their throat as they look at a seething Damon and a too calm Bella.

"When were you going to tell us the vampires and werewolves were after Elena? That she's the key to breaking the curse?" he hisses.

"You found out yourself before I could," she replies.

"This isn't a game, Isabella," he snarls, his eyes narrowing further.

"I never said it was."

They stare at each other, Bella's stance and expression still one of calm, while Damon's anger dissipates, and his body visibly sags.

"She's to be sacrificed, Bella," he whispers to her, his eyes searching hers. It's the first time he's used her nickname.

She tries to comfort him, tries to plead with him with her eyes. "I won't let that happen."

"How will you stop it?"

"Trust me, Damon. _Trust_ me, I won't let anything happen to her," she whispers to him, lifting on hand to touch his cheek. She bends her head slightly to look at him through her eyelashes.

He lets his head fall forward, and without saying another word, moves towards the stairs and up to his room.

The living room remains silent as they hear the balcony windows open in Damon's room.

Stefan gives Bella a questioning glance, and she shakes her head slightly in a "not now" manner. His brows furrow but he leaves her be.

Caroline opens her mouth to comment but before she can say anything, Damon blurs downstairs, glaring hard at the front door. The wooden door opens not a second later and 'Rose' steps in. She takes in the number of people around her and slightly steps back, before squaring her shoulders and moving further into the room.

Her eyes widen as she spots a familiar person in the room. "Isa," she gasps and moves towards her old acquaintance but Damon steps in front of Bella instinctively and glares at the short haired women.

"I'm just here to help," she confesses, holding up both of her hands in an 'I surrender' position.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"So let me get this straight. Klaus, the original vampire, is after Elena so he can sacrifice her, a vampire, a werewolf, and the moonstone…all because he wants to get rid of the curse of the sun placed on the vampires?" Damon asks Rose incredulously, the glass of scotch in his hand held almost tight enough to break as he sits on the sofa chair facing the raven haired woman.

Elena sits beside Stefan, both touching the length of their body with each other, while Bonnie and Jeremy occupy the love seat, leaving Caroline and Alaric on the chairs by the fireplace, all silent.

"I only know what I've picked up over the years. I don't know what is true and what is not," she answers back, before her eyes travel to Bella. "I don't even know why you're asking me if you have Isa here."

Damon gives Bella a look before turning back to Rose, ignoring her comment. "Elijah's the only one who knew and he's dead, so—"

"He's not dead," Bella interrupts.

"How do you know? I killed him," Damon says harshly.

"He's an original vampire, Damon. He can't be killed with a stake."

"But he turned all vein-y and ugly looking," Damon replies, his hands moving around in wild gestures, careful in not spilling the scotch.

"And by now he's probably back to being alive."

Damon downs his scotch, his jaw tightening in frustrations. "So how does he die?"

"Silver dagger and ashes of the white oak tree."

"How do we get that?" Stefan questions.

Bella mums up, and they know that's the last bit of information they'll be able to get from her.

"Why won't you tell us anything? Why do we have to wait?" Caroline's clipped tone rings out from the opposite of the sofas.

Bella merely raises her eyebrow at her and remains unaffected by Caroline's glare. They all quiet down once again, with Damon staring at Rose to see if she's lying or not, but with Bella's words not going against Rose's information, he's inclined to believe she's telling the truth. As if they didn't have enough troubles, there's another thing added: anyone and everyone who knew about the moonstone and the curse would be coming after Elena.

"You and Elena have school tomorrow, Stefan," Bella states to the quiet room.

They all turn to look at her and Elena gives her a grateful smile, her fatigue showing clearly on her face. Stefan helps her up, and they leave followed by the rest of the members.

"Can I—Can I stay here?" Rose asks in a slightly nervous, uncomfortable tone. "My home has always been with Trevor and now he's…he's…"

Damon stares at her and the nods. "No funny business or I won't hesitate to drive a stake through your heart."

She nods at him, her face serious.

"I'll show you to the guest room," he says.

He turns to look at Bella, and she waves 'bye' to him, slipping out the door, leaving him with a slightly baffled and confused expression.

He turns to Rose, and they make their way slowly towards the third floor. When he's sure Bella's put enough distance between herself and the house, he asks Rose. "How do you know her?"

"Who doesn't know her?" she quips back, before looking at his serious expression. "I met her when Katherine was with Klaus. She was trying to help Katherine stay out of trouble, but she wasn't successful."

"What do you mean?"

Rose shifts on her feet, unsure whether or not to say anything before Damon turns to her, his eyes piercing into hers.

She concedes, "All I know is that she's old, she's powerful, and she's the key to saving the doppelganger."

"How?"

Damon opens the room to the guestroom, indicating for Rose to go in.

Rose steps in, before turning back to Damon. "She'll switch places with the doppelganger."

Damon gapes at her for a few moments, and she takes advantage of his silence and jumbled mind.

"Must be hard to make that decision, right? Save who? The girl your brother's in love with or the girl you're in love with," she jabs.

Damon straightens up immediately. "I'm not in love with anybody."

"Wanna try that again?"

He narrows his eyes at her. "Don't make me kick you out."

"You won't do that."

"Who says?" he questions, his eyes widening before narrowing slightly.

"You need me. Isa won't give you the information, that much is clear."

He growls at her.

She sighs. "You're so protective of her, of your brother. You remind me of Trevor."

Damon scrunches up his nose. "Why him?"

"He was loyal, too. Best friend anyone could hope for."

"And that got him dead, didn't it?"

"Bloody emotions," she quips.

"That's why you switch them off."

"You haven't."

He stares at her. "I will if you will," he says, looking at her.

Her lips quirk into a smirk before she pulls the collar of his leather jacket to bring him closer, pressing her lips against his.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_I wrap the chain of the vervain filled necklace around by the tip of my index finger twice, before pulling it lose, and then wrapping it again. Why do women take so long in the bathroom at night? It's just the bed that's next, so why the whole process of beauty products? _

_"Damon," Elena gasps in surprise, her hand going to her throat. _

_"I brought you your necklace back," I tell her softly, holding up the necklace by the chain on his index and middle finger. _

_She lets out a breath, her hand moving forth to catch the necklace. I pull it back again, patting the bedside next to me. "Let's talk." _

_"We can talk when I have my necklace on." _

_"Come on, Elena. Just talk to me." _

_She cautiously moves near, and then takes another step closer, and then sits down beside me, her eyes watching me with curiosity shining on her face. Her nose scrunches up a tiny bit and she takes a deep breath. "You reek of women's perfume." She looks for an explanation. _

_"Rose," I sigh. _

_Elena's eyes widen. "You mean…" she trails off suggestively, her nose scrunching up this time, not really wanting to know the answer. _

_"No, I mean, yes. She kissed me, but all I could think about was Isabella," I concede. _

_Her eyebrows rise up higher with my confession. She gapes at me for a few minutes, opening and closing her mouth, unable to get any words out. _

_"I couldn't. For the first time, I couldn't touch a woman without my mind straying to another. I kept imagining Isabella there instead of Rose. And she noticed and made me confess," I nearly ramble out to her. Why am I being like this? How'd you make me like this, Bambi? Why would you? _

_Elena gapes at me some more before clearing her throat. "So you like-like her?" she whispers to me as if planning on conspiracy. _

_I let a small smirk tug one side of my lips up. "Yeah, I like-like her," I whisper back. _

_"Are you going to tell her?" she asks me. _

_That's where I'm in a conflict, Elena. Should I? Or shouldn't I? She's still in love with Edward, I can see it. Then again, there's a part of me that still loves Katherine. So what do I do?_

_I tell this to her, and she looks like she's thinking really hard. Then she shrugs. She fucking shrugs. "Tell her. If she feels the same…" she trails off. _

_"Why should I tell her?" _

_She doesn't hesitate. "Because I've never seen you smile as much as when you're with her." Upon my incredulous look, she adds, "Genuinely smile." _

_I do nothing. I stare at her, wondering if I feel the same way about you that Stefan does about Elena. She notices my lack of attention and asks. _

_I shake my head. "I love her," I whisper. She stares at me jaw slack this time, even if the shock isn't as prominent as before. _

_She shouldn't know this. I don't want anyone to know this. I've never been the kind to be open about my feelings, and because of habit, I compel her to forget, stand up, and leave the necklace where I sat before I make my way out of her window in a blur. _

_I find you easily. You're sitting by the Falls, looking at the waterfall, the water color turning light blue at the sides due to the time of the evening. You're sitting on one of the rocks with your feet dipped in the water, the jeans around your calf wet. _

_I sit by you barefoot wordlessly, dipping my own feet into the ice cold water, hissing as it makes contact with my skin. _

_"What're you doing here, Damon?" you ask me. _

_"What does it look like I'm doing?" _

_You turn to look at me, a question in your eyes. "Where's Rose?" _

_That's all it takes for it to all click in my mind. "You left me alone with her purposely, didn't you?" I mutter to you in disbelief. _

_You look away from me, looking at the water you're gently kicking your feet in. _

_"Why?" I demand. _

_You shrug. "Maybe you and her will be good together." _

_I grab your elbow, and pull you to look at me. Your eyes hold all kinds of emotions but your face reveals nothing. Why're you hiding from me, Bambi? _

_"What're you trying to accomplish, Isabella?" I want to plead, but I manage to make my voice even. _

_A few moments is all it takes for you to break. "Because whatever this is between you and me," you gesture wildly, "can't happen." _

_My chest tightens and my throat constricts and I struggle to make sense of this in my mind while simultaneously trying to breathe. _

_"You're pushing me away because you're afraid?" I snarl at you, the emotions being pushed back by anger instinctively and by habit. I'm not used to emotions. Never have been and never will be. _

_You close your eyes and shake your head. "Damon, don't do this." _

_"No. Give me a reason," I demand._

_ "Damon, I'm going to die when Klaus gets here. It's what I've been waiting for since I've been alive. It'll only hurt you." _

_I stand up and pull you up, too. "I don't care. I'll find a way to stop that." _

_"But you _can't_. It's going to happen." _

_"I'll find a way to save you," I reverently grasp at the straws, at anything and everything. _

_You look up at me with those wide doe eyes, glistening as if holding back tears. "I went back to Forks because Charlie might've found a way, but he hasn't. He's been researching and experimenting for over a century, Damon," you sniffle and then let out a laugh. "I've wanted this, you know. I've wanted this curse to break so I can be free of this plane and now that that time is coming close, I don't want to anymore. Now I want to stay and I can't. What did you do to me?" you whisper. _

_I put my forehead on yours, my hands sliding up to gently wrap around your neck, holding you still. "I could ask you the same thing, Bambi." _

_"Edward's waiting for me," you murmur and I recoil immediately. _

_"You said he's dead…" _

_"He is. I don't know whether Heaven or Hell exist, and if they do, where I'm going, but every time I die, I see him," you explain. "Every time, he holds me until I float back to earth. Every time he whispers to me that he's waiting for me, that I've kept him waiting for so long, that he misses me." _

_Each word pierces through my heart. Each word makes this ball of emotion move further and further up my throat until I'm nearly choking for breath. _

_"But I'm not sure I'm ready to go now, I don't know if I'm ready to leave you," you confess. _

_That's all it takes for me to slide hands down to your hips and pull you close. But you put your tiny hands on my chest and push me back. "I should be mad at you. I should be so pissed at you," you start, your head shaking back and forth. "You killed my best friend. I should want to hit you, and I did when I found you with his heart in your grip." You halt. _

_"Hit me," I say. _

_"I can't. That's what baffles me. When I saw you in that well, burned up and close to death, all the anger turned into another emotion and that scares me. All I could think about was how I couldn't let that happen to you, how you couldn't leave me alone. It scares me shitless, Damon. I don't know if I can do this." _

_"You didn't object before." _

_"I didn't know my feelings went this deep before." _

_I look at you. I _really _look at you. You're so strong, yet I can see the broken pieces of you surfacing. You hold up a brave front but no one knows the depth of your hurt, do they? I want to decipher and pick apart every emotion in your eyes but my mind is concentrating on just one thing you said; that your feelings for me are deep. _

Sorry, Edward, but you're going to have to wait for her. She won't be leaving here if I can help it, _I think before leaving behind all thought, pulling your hips to mine and pushing my lips against yours. Your palms come to rest against my chest again and you push away from me, but I pull you close again and silence you before you can say anything. I'm too determined, Bambi. Just give in. And you do. You give in within seconds. Your palms that were pushing me away now wrap up around my head, your hands burying themselves through my hair and your fingers alternating between twisting strands and rubbing little circles on my scalp. My hands rest lightly against your hip as I push you with my body towards a tree and then against it, my grasp moving from your hips to under your shirt and around, my large palms covering the majority of your back. My teeth nibble your bottom lip and you moan and pull me against you harder, a leg lifting to wrap around my waist. One of your hands drags your nails against my neck and down my back before finding its way under my shirt and repeating the process against my skin this time. I growl and grab both your wrists, holding them hostage in mine against the tree trunk above your head. _

_Everything's forgotten and everything's good. We're good. _

_._

_._

* * *

><p><strong>* Twiddles thumbs nervously* How was that chapter?<strong>

_What did you guys think of the latest Vampire Diaries episode? Elena's words, Klaus's developing...feelings, and Damon's indiscretion? _

**Add me on Facebook for teasers or to have a chat: [**_Corrupt Subduction_**] or click on the link on my profile.**

****_Reviewers get a lengthy preview~ _


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-readers, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**, for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em>Take a breath, I pull myself together<br>Just another stair until I reach the door  
>You'll never know the way it tears me up inside to see you<br>I wish that I could tell you something to take it all away_

_Sometimes I wish I could save you  
>And there's so many things that<br>I want you to know  
>I won't give up till it's over<br>If it takes you forever  
>I want you to know<em>

_When I hear you voice it's drowning in whispers  
>It's just skin and bones, it's nothing left to take<br>And no matter what I do  
>I can't make you feel better<br>If I only I could find the answer to help me understand_

_Sometimes I wish I could save you  
>And there's so many things that I want you to know<br>I won't give up till it's over  
>If it takes you forever I want you to know<br>That if you fall, stumble down  
>I'll pick you up off the ground<br>If you lose faith in you  
>I'll give you strength to pull through<br>Tell me you won't give up 'cause _

_I'll be waiting  
>If you fall you know<br>I'll be there for you_

-Simple Plan_  
><em>

_Oh my god. _

That phrase repeats through Elena's mind as she tries to make sense of the Salvatore living room. The first thing that she'd thought was there must've been a massive fight, but the apparent handprint imprinted into the wooden table by the door dispelled that thought. There are various items broken all across the living room and a few wood panels missing from the banister.

_Damon. _

She hurries up to the third floor, ready to take the risk of annoying him to ask him what's happening.

Just as she raises her hand to knock on his door, Stefan's gentle one grasps her other wrist, pulling her away from the door and into his arms.

"Hey," he murmurs with a soft smile on his face.

She stares at him with wide eyes. "Hey-hi. I called out but no one answered."

He nods. "I was rummaging through the tool supplies to find something to fix the banister." The amused look on his face increases tenfold.

She sighs, irritated. "Damon brought someone back last night?"

"Mhm," he hums against her hair.

She pulls back and eyes him. "Why do you look so…happy? You usually hate it when you have to deal with the aftermath of it. And where did Bella sleep last night?"

He opens his mouth to say something when the opening of Damon's bedroom door interrupts him.

Elena blinks a few times as she stares at Damon running a hand through his hair, his pajamas hung _low, low, low _on his hips, shirtless. She gapes at the treasure trail running from his navel and disappearing into his pajamas. She snaps her eyes to his when he lets out a small chuckle through his nose and raises his eyebrows at her.

"Morning," he greets with a sly smirk on his face.

He steps out of his room and swings his bedroom door closed as he makes his way downstairs. Elena's jaw drops as she catches a glimpse of the familiar long brown, tangled hair all over the white pillow and Damon's black silky sheets draped over Bella, leaving the silver skin of her back-just above the curve of her posterior-exposed while covering her entire front just before the door shuts closed.

.

.

.

.

"Thanks for this," Elena breathes out, her legs moving in a fast pace towards the tomb.

"No problem. You went through the Petrova book, I take it?"

"Yeah. So…" Elena trails off, her eyes glancing at her companion from the corner of her eyes.

"Yes?"

"Come on, Bella. What was that this morning?"

Bella smiles innocently. "What do you mean?"

"You and _Damon_?"

"What about us?"

"No! No," Elena defends herself before registering Bella's words, her foot catching against a thick tree branch. Bella easily catches her arm, pulling her upright once again and grabs the bag on Elena's shoulder, swinging it over her own. "I just…'us'…are you two together?" she asks in a low voice.

Bella sighs, and then laughs quietly. "I don't know what we are," she answers honestly, shaking her head.

"But how did it all lead to…_that_?"

Bella raises her eyebrows.

Elena backtracks. "I mean, I didn't even know you liked him."

"I'm good at keeping up facades," she replies dryly.

"Well, I'm happy for you two." Elena nods to herself.

Bella replies with just a genuine, albeit a bit cautious, smile.

"Do you think she'll tell us anything?" Elena questions.

"With the bribe you brought, I don't think she can refuse."

"Right."

They both make their way down the stairs, underneath the church ruins. Wordlessly, Bella takes off Elena's bag, leaving it by the large scattered stones and slips her fingers through the sides of the door-sized stone door, effortlessly pulling it back and then to the side of the tomb's entrance.

Caroline's head pokes through the sunlight from the top of the stairs. "Heeeey," she draws out.

Bella turns to Elena. "I should go; she won't talk if I'm here. I'll keep Stefan away from here"

A small _whoosh _sound informs Elena of Bella departing. She goes towards her bag, pulling it closer, sitting on the knee tall rock by the tomb.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Caroline's hesitant voice rings out.

"Yeah. It's the only way to get answers."

"It's one way to get the answers. Why don't you ask Bella?" Caroline asks with a sneer.

Elena doesn't respond to that question.

Katherine's shuffling feet towards her causes her head to snap up, her lips parting as she takes in Katherine's dishevel appearance, from her nearly ripped black net dress and shoeless feet to her tangled hair.

"Straight hair doesn't suit you," she comments lightly to the vampire.

"Elena. Come to watch me wither away?"

"No, I brought you some things."

"A care package? Lose the tail," Katherine scowls at the blonde vampire.

"I'm not leaving," Caroline replies, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I want to know more about Klaus," Elena interrupts.

Katherine hums, a devious smile pulling at her lips. "Well, well; haven't you been busy. What makes you think I'll tell you anything?"

"For one, the fact that even talking is painful for you. That burning in your throat, Katherine; how tempting it must be for you to be so close to human veins yet you can't sink your teeth into me." Elena grins as Katherine moves towards her in a rush, only to be stopped by the invisible barrier. "So, if you give me what I need, I'll give you what your body needs." She slips her hand into her bag, pulling out the bottle of blood she'd snatched from Damon earlier, shaking it tauntingly towards the enraged vampire.

"Tell Caroline to leave," Katherine demands.

Elena turns towards her friend and nods. "I'll be fine. As long as I'm on this side, she won't be able to harm me."

Caroline hesitates as she looks at Katherine's expression.

"Go."

She purses her lips, nods at Elena and blurs out of the tomb, leaning against a tree close by, careful not to make a noise. Katherine's weakness serves to her advantage.

Elena turns to Katherine, pulling out a thick book from her bag.

"I read your family history. It ends with you, but obviously that's not true."

"Blood first."

Elena reaches into her bag again, pulling out a small medicine plastic cup, throwing her bag to the side again. She opens the bottle of blood and pours a bit of blood into the plastic cup, trying to stay calm, ignoring her natural urge to lean away from the thick red substance. She grabs a stick nearby, pushing the tiny cup toward Katherine, into the spell's shield.

"1492, England. I met Klaus then."

"But Bulgaria…"

"I was born and raised there. They threw me out," Katherine replies in a bitter tone.

"Disowned you?"

"Yes. I had a baby out of wedlock. Such a shame," she mocks.

"And the baby didn't take on the Petrova name," Elena replies in a statement.

"Mhm. My baby…she was given away. I was banished to England. I met Klaus there and…I was very much taken with him until I found out what he wanted from me. Then I ran."

Elena pulls back the plastic cup and then tilts some more blood into it, again and again. As Katherine goes on to tell her about Rose and Trevor and the moonstone, her heart sinks further and further into the pit of her stomach. The urge to retch makes itself known to her but the need to know more overweighs it. Her heart skips a beat as her breath catches in her throat when Katherine tells her about Klaus murdering her entire family: her parents and her younger sister.

Her voice is a pitch too high when she questions Katherine. "How does Bella fit into all of this?"

A devious smile tugs at one side of Katherine's lips. "She offered to save me."

"But you didn't want to be saved, did you?"

Katherine shrugs.

"How is she connected to us?"

"Oh look. You're out of blood and I'm out of answers." She gets up slowly, her skin looking a little more like a tanned-pearly white rather than the sunken, brittle look from earlier. She hesitates, before pushing the _Petrova_ book towards Elena.

"In the old times, the paper quality was magical. Two sheets became one."

.

.

.

.

"No."

"It's the only way to stop the sacrifice."

"Who says, Stefan? You?"

"No, Rose's friend Slater."

"Oh, and you think he's telling the truth?"

Rose sighs and gets up, standing between the two brothers. "Slater wouldn't lie."

Damon narrows his eyes at her before turning away, going back to his place on the sofa, his knee touching Bella's just as their front door opens.

A too pale Elena walks in, her hands clutching the old book to her chest.

Stefan moves towards her. "Hey, what happened?"

"I went to go see Katherine." Her voice is low, but her words are clear. The only person who isn't surprised is Bella.

Stefan turns an accusing eye toward Bella. "This is why you sent me with Rose to meet Slater," he spits out.

"It is," she replies calmly.

"Why?"

"Because you guys needed answers."

"You could've told us that too!"

"Actually, no. I can only elaborate on a fact or correct a misleading assumption."

They all stare at her.

She shrugs. "What?"

Stefan leads a stiff Elena towards the couch, sitting beside her.

"What's going on?" she asks.

"If we destroy the moonstone, there's no sealed curse. If there's no sealed curse, no sacrifice," Rose highlights.

"But we can't do destroy the moonstone," Damon protests.

"Why not?" Rose retorts, her features twisting into a confused, dazed look.

"Because we can't," Elena blurts out. "Klaus killed Katherine's entire family because she became a vampire. I don't even want to think of what he mi—might do."

"So you're going to go ahead with the curse?" Rose questions sarcastically.

Bella remains quiet, wondering whether or not she should step in. If the moonstone is destroyed, she dies, and if she goes through with the sacrifice, she dies. The only thing that the sacrifice would do is grant her, Charlie and Angela some more time to look through thick books of history to gather a spell. She sighs, as a thought passes through her head, _Selfishness never does good to anyone. _

Stefan turns to Bella. "You said you'd save her. How?"

She hesitates in her answer, her eyes searching Damon's. She finally sighs and lays it on the table. "I switch places with Elena."

"No!"

"Elena…"

"No. I said no. I've already been the reason of my parents' deaths, Vicki's, and Bonnie's grandmothers. No more. Just no," Elena reasons in a shaky voice.

Bella gets to her feet calmly, replying tersely, "It's not up for a debate."

She moves towards the stairs and walks up in a human pace, her head bowed down.

Elena sees movement out of the corner of her eyes, and when she turns to look, she frowns as she sees Rose holding onto Damon's wrist, having a silent conversation. Damon sighs and crosses his arms over his chest, his eyes still looking towards the stairs miserably.

"We're doing this, Damon," Stefan stresses.

"Yeah? Good luck with finding the moonstone."

Damon moves towards the stairs and Rose grasps his wrist again, but he shakes her off, blurring away.

Elena turns to Stefan. "I ditched because I wanted to talk to Katherine. Why aren't you in school?"

"I have to hunt."

She nods towards the door, silently telling him to leave. He kisses her on the forehead and blurs out. Elena twiddles her thumbs for a few minutes, watching Rose watch her. She makes a small motion towards the door and moves to leave, noticing Rose's baffled, eyebrow-raised expression.

"It's a safe distance from the house," Rose starts. "You want to contact Elijah."

Elena nods. "How were you able to contact him before?"

"Through Slater."

"Take me to him."

"And get killed by your bodyguards? Please."

"Listen, I need you to do this for me. For Bella. For _Damon._ You were with Trevor all this time because he was your best friend. Bella's just as close to Damon as you were to Trevor. Damon reminds you of him; do you really want Damon to die, too? Because he will if Bella dies," Elena tries to sound convincing, but it's hard to when she's unable to decipher the meaning behind Damon's behavior. Her mind goes to the flashes of Rose and Trevor covering up the windows to block out the sun. "I can get you a daylight ring if you help me out," she argues desperately.

.

.

.

.

Elena uses her fingertip to push open the door to Slater's apartment. She glances back at Rose who shrugs at her in an off-handed manner. She steps in, careful to not make much of a sound and looks around, trying to notice anything out of the ordinary.

"Knowing too much information will kill you," Rose states. She indicates with her chin to the shoe poking out from the back of the sofa.

Elena's hand goes to cover her mouth as she looks at the darkened, dead form of her companion's friend. She opens her mouth but there's a creaking sound from within the bedroom. Elena and Rose share a glance, before Rose makes her way slowly towards the room. She steps back as a tall, thin figure bumps into her, closing its arms around her.

"Alice?"

Elena sits awkwardly on the sofa opposite of Rose and Alice, watching Rose make a disgruntled expression as she comforts the bawling girl.

"Alice," Rose coos, "We need to contact Klaus."

Alice sobs harder, her hands covering her eyes. " H—He doesn't st—stay on radar," she hiccups.

Elena catches Rose's eyes darting to the blinking computers screen by the kitchen, requesting a password. She moves a little closer to the other two women who are speaking softly, "Do you know his computer password?" she interrupts.

Alice looks at her flabbergasted. "Are you serious?"

Elena leans in closer. "I need to contact Klaus, or someone who might know him." At Alice's narrowed eyes, she continues, "You want to be a vampire, right? If you still want to be one, I know people."

Rose shakes her head at Elena, "Negotiation isn't always a good thing."

.

.

.

.

"When is Angela getting back?" Bonnie asks cautiously.

"Why, you miss her?" Damon wiggles his eyebrows.

She sighs. "I need another witch to destroy the moonstone." She doesn't notice Damon's expression turning sour. "If we combine our powers and energy, we'd be able to destroy it."

"Except you won't do that." Damon rolls his eyes, walking towards his liquor storage, his thoughts on someone sleeping peacefully upstairs in his room.

Bonnie gives a look to Stefan, who shakes his head and shrugs. They both stare at Damon as he receives a phone call and a stormy look crosses his face as he concentrates on the person on the other end. He mumbles something too low for Bonnie to understand and blurs out of sight.

"What happened?"

"Elena went to look for Klaus." Stefan's voice is strained, even to Bonnie's ears.

She freezes in her place, irritation and fear creeping up on her as she imagines the result of Elena's decision.

"How did this happen?"

"Well, I went hunting. Everyone else was in school."

"Damon? Bella?" Bonnie fires away.

"Uh," he stumbles over his words, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "Busy."

She wants to argue but doesn't, instead choosing to worry over the consequences of Elena's actions.

He adds, reassuringly, "Damon's gone to get her back before something happens."

Bonnie raises her eyebrows suspiciously. "Why didn't you go?"

He rubs his hands over his face, sighing. "Damon wants me to stay here so everything's okay."

"Why you?"

Stefan gives her a look. "Do you really want Damon looking over your shoulder?"

The expression on her face says all.

"So…" she begins, "When _is_ Angela getting back?"

"I asked her to come back; she'll be here by tomorrow," a voice interrupts them.

They both turn to look and their reaction causes a small, amused smile to flit across Bella's lips. Stefan's cheeks turn a little pink and he quickly averts his eyes, turning back to look straight ahead instead of glancing at Bella. Bonnie continues to stare, her jaw dropped and her eyes wide, trying to remember if the shirt Bella is wearing is Damon's.

.

.

.

.

Elena sits dejectedly on her bed, trying to will the pout away at her failed attempt of trying to save everyone. She's unable to pin point her exact feelings; embarrassment at being caught by Damon, ashamed for even putting herself in danger while everyone around her tried to save her, or anger at Damon for being at Slater's house at the time he was.

Bonnie shrugs her shoulder into Elena lightly, trying to gather her friend's attention.

"Do you think I'm wrong, too?" she asks in a small voice.

Bonnie hesitates in her answer. "Being suicidal is wrong. But I can understand why you would." She quickly adds, "That doesn't mean what you did was right."

"Bella's going to die if I don't."

Bonnie gapes. "What?"

Elena nods mutely, a grave expression on her face.

Bonnie carefully watches over her next words, "My priority is you."

Elena shakes her head sharply. "No, you just don't like Bella."

"I don't, but that doesn't mean I'd want her dead. I have to keep you safe first."

"Bonn—" she pauses, her eyes widening.

"What?"

"Katherine said something to me when I visited her." Elena ignores Bonnie's scowl. "She said two pages became one and she pushed her ancestors' book towards me."

Elena quickly grabs the book from her bag, both girls scrambling to the middle of the bed, the book between them.

They start at the last page; Katherine listed as the last descendant. Bonnie grabs the page between her thumb and index finger, rubbing it together. When she feels just paper, she starts picking at the corner of it, trying to make two pages out of one. She gasps as two edges appear from one page, and carefully pulls them apart. Their hearts pound as they wait for another painting and more words to appear, but their hands fall back to their laps as the sheet they pulled apart has blank pages. They sigh with disappointment.

"Klaus wanted Katherine because she's the doppelganger, which means there had to be an original, right? To have had the curse belonging to the Petrova bloodline in the first place, right?" Elena hurriedly turns to the first page. "See! It's the male heir continuing on the Petrova line. There was a female…"

Bonnie starts poking at the corner of the paper again, pulling apart the one sheet into two immediately. They stare dumbfounded at the name and the small painting of the girl.

"Izavella."

.

.

.

.

_"Are you ever going to tell me?" _

_"Tell you what?" you ask back. _

_"Your story. Your _entire_ story," I add before you can change the subject. _

_"Perhaps one day. Or I won't need to; It's easy to find out about me," you tease. _

_Before I can ask another question, you switch our positions so you're sitting on top of me, our noses nearly touching. _

_From this perch, I can see the flicks of gold in your brown eyes and I'm left wondering if that's a sign of danger or death. I've learned since yesterday that I'm a worrier. I never used to be. But now all I can think of is the sacrifice and a way to save you. Is it wrong to contemplate finding a way to save Elena instead of you, so that you won't even have to go through with the switching? But you won't let me do that, will you? You'll go through with what you set your mind to. I'll think of a way. _

_Soft lips make their way across my collarbone, leaving butterfly kisses and light bites, and then up my neck to my earlobe. My hands move towards your waist to align us but you grasp my wrists, pinning them to the bed beside my head. You giggle at my groan and I smile. I love you. You know that, right? Even if I don't say it a lot, you know. How can such a small word describe such a feeling; the emotions bubbling inside, tearing apart your body to lay your soul out for everyone to see. _

_You distract me with your lips again and this time, I moan. I laugh out loud as I hear the front door shut close; poor Stefan—he can't stand the sounds during the night. Even behind the mock anger, he's happy. I wonder why I'm happy if he's happy; shouldn't I try to make him miserable? _

_You laugh too and your body rocks into mine and I forget all about Stefan and put the worry about the sacrifice to the back of my mind. I'm not going to let them destroy the moonstone, nor let you leave me. Whatever I have to do; I'll find a way. _

_Love is the best motivation. _

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about the delay. I'm not sure when I'll post again, but I can promise to send out the previews to the reviewers at the latest by Friday. :)<br>**

_This chapter didn't have much, I realize, but I barely had anytime and I really didn't want to make you guys want any longer. I feel horrible if I go over two weeks without posting. :(  
><em>

**Add me on Facebook for teasers or to have a chat: [**_Corrupt Subduction_**] or click on the link on my profile. Speaking of Facebook, I received a request from a reader to start a Facebook group; if I do make a group, would anyone want to join and talk about MGA?  
><strong>


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-reader, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_**, for leaving me her thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><em> This time, this place<br>Misused, mistakes  
>Too long, too late<br>Who was I to make you wait?_

_Just one change, just one breath  
>Just in case there's just one left<br>'Cause you know  
>You know, you know<em>

_That I love you, I have loved you all along  
>And I miss you, been far away for far too long<br>I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go  
>Stop breaking if I don't see you anymore<em>

_On my knees, I'll ask  
>Last chance for one last dance<br>'Cause with you I'd withstand  
>All of it to hold your hand<em>

_I'd give it all, I'd give for us  
>Give anything but I won't give up<br>'Cause you know  
>You know, you know<em>

-Nickelback

* * *

><p>That nagging feeling at the back of the mind makes itself known. She thumbs through the pages of the <em>Petrova<em> book again, her mind working furiously to try and connect the dots of the information made known to her. If Izavella was Isabella, then she, herself, is Bella's descendant. For some reason, this made Elena feel rather relieved than worried; it certainly explains why she had been able to trust Bella—but what if Bella has an ulterior motive? Like Katherine, does she, too, just want to torture Elena or is she really here to protect the human doppelganger? And most of all, why has Bella never mentioned of her bloodline?

_…In order to break the curse, the human doppelganger needs to be sacrificed. _

Does that mean Bella was the original doppelganger? She did say that one of the original brothers saved her when she'd been the blood bag of the other _Original_ brother.

Elena paces, her heart beating frantically in her chest. She picks up her phone and then throws it onto the bed again. Stefan would most likely go into a protective mode, putting distance between Bella and Elena, and that wasn't what she wanted.

_Damon…_

But would Damon help? He's just as curious, but would these questions make him distance himself from Bella? A pang of heat smacks into Elena, just above her tummy, her stomach rolling as the feeling of jealousy hits her again. She groans to herself, rubbing her face fiercely; clearly that feeling of _jealousy_ isn't gone, and neither is the confusion.

Damon wouldn't become distant…love is a powerful emotion—it clings and clings until it's gotten under the skin and into the heart; if anything, he'll understand—

She makes a face and picks up the phone again, texting Damon. They'll get the answers today; determination is a strong thing.

—if Bella had been the original doppelganger, that means she had a baby.

Elena's fingers speed up as she texts incoherently before grabbing her car keys, yelling to Jeremy and Bonnie of her travel plans, not waiting for a response.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Bella looks calm, sitting Indian style with her legs crossed over each other, replying with nonchalance, "That's not me."

Elena's tense posture suddenly sags in defeat, her disappointment displayed clearly on her face. Her teeth dig into her bottom lip, puncturing her flesh, causing a drop of blood to appear. A light appears at the back of her eyes and she snaps her head up to look at Bella again. "Is that your daughter?"

"No." The void expression is back on Bella's face and the light disappears from Elena's eyes.

Elena watches carefully as Bella's finger traces over the Izavella's hand painted picture, her expression giving nothing away, yet a small, sad feeling looming over her. Elena's about to ask Bella if the two are related when she's interrupted by the brunette hybrid.

"Who would you consider the mother? The one who conceived the fetus or the one who gave birth to the child?"

Before Elena's mind can depict the meaning of the semi-cryptic sentence, a frantic, disheveled Bonnie bursts in through the Gilbert's front door, her eyes shifting nervously from Elena to Bella and then back.

"Stefan…"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Let go of me, Damon! Let go! Let go…please," Elena croaks out, her desperate eyes trying to plead with Damon through the tears gathering in her eyes.

His eyes soften a bit, and he loosens his grip, just enough to allow Elena's body to relax against the stone wall but still keep her hostage.

"You go in there and Katherine's going to snap your neck," he argues.

"But Stefan…!"

"Stefan's up-ed on forest animals while Katherine nearly drank your brother dry. I'll give you one chance to guess who's stronger right now," he stresses.

"How could you let this happen!" Elena wails, sagging in Damon's arm, her eyes glued to the dark entrance of the tomb.

He doesn't answer, his sharp jaw visibly tightening. He moves his head closer to hers, locking eyes with her. "Relax," he whispers out, his baby blue eyes willing her to trust him. "I'll get him out."

She finds herself relaxing even further, despite her mind's protests to her body, and she nods, giving the dark entrance of the tomb one last look before catching Damon's eye.

"I won't go in there, I promise."

He looks at her. "You want me to leave." It's a statement, rather than the accusation she expected.

She doesn't react to his words, knowing he's aware of what she wants…and she's sure he'd protest. She watches as his eyes move towards the tomb entrance, his eyes perking, and it's obvious he's listening to whatever Stefan is saying. Whatever Stefan said must've reassured Damon, because he moves his body away from Elena, giving her one warning glance before blurring up the stairs.

She doesn't move for a few minutes, trying to collect her thoughts. She's not worried about her boyfriend being stuck in a tomb with his ex-girlfriend, who just happens to look like Elena…there's no feeling of jealousy or anxiety about his actions. There's fear in her mind, though, of the consequences Katherine's constant presence will have on Stefan's mind. Elena can imagine the mental torture Katherine's capable of, of what the vampire doppelganger might do to Stefan.

She shuffles her feet closer and closer to the entrance, her body growing warmer as she gets near Stefan. She leans on the wall, falling down first onto her knees and then onto her rear, sitting with her head against the cold stone. She's tempted to go into the tomb, but she won't lose her chance; if she does enter it and Damon finds out, he'd never let her near Stefan while he's held kidnapped within the stone cell, and that's not something Elena wants happening.

"Hi," a small whisper sounds near her ears and she closes her eyes as Stefan's soothing scent washes over her.

"Hey…" What else could she say in this situation? 'I'm sorry' wouldn't really help…it never does. "How did this happen?"

"Jeremy thought Katherine had the moonstone and Damon was just too arrogant to admit he didn't have it."

"He went looking for it in the tomb." It's a statement that falls from Elena's lips.

Her eyes open wide at his next sentence. "You should go."

Her heart clenches as her mind assumes the worst possibilities for Stefan's words. He backtracks immediately.

"It's not that I don't want you here. I just don't want you near Katherine," he spits out bitterly.

"Aw, I'm hurt, Stefan." Elena doesn't look at Katherine at all, her eyes locked with Stefan's. "I thought we were having fun!"

Stefan sighs through his nose, irritation visible in his expression. "Go." The weight of his word has an impact on Elena, and she slowly stands up, her hand on the stone wall helping her keep balance. "I love you." That's all she needs to gather the courage to leave her boyfriend with his ex. The declaration of love Stefan made to Elena spoke volumes; it's one thing that Katherine will never be able to get: his free willed love.

A small smile makes its way to Elena's face and just as she's about to step onto the stairs, Katherine's shrill voice makes her halt in her place, as if frozen.

"So were you able to get little Isabella to spill all her secrets? Or were you not able to figure out my hint?"

A response is out of Elena's mouth before she can stop it. "What do you know about her?"

Katherine smirks as the power falls back into her hands. Stefan glares daggers at the vampire but she pays him no heed, keeping her sparkling, mischievous eyes on her human doppelganger.

"Elena, just go. Don't listen to her, she's just trying to find a way to get out of here."

But her eyes are glued to Katherine's refreshed form, her feet involuntarily moving towards the two locked prisoners. "What do you know about Bella?"

"She's going by Bella now? I remember _Klaus_ used to endearingly refer to her as Isa."

A gasp makes its way out of Elena's parted lips. She can do nothing more than make fish lips, trying to gather her thoughts…to grab at one thought roaming within her mind and analyze it. She fails miserably.

"Klaus?" she repeats dumbfounded.

Katherine hums. "Don't tell me, she didn't tell you guys?" She mock gasps.

"How does she know Klaus?"

"Klaus was the one who changed her."

Well…that's not as bad as Elena suspected. At least in this situation, Bella might be mad at the hybrid for putting her through a lonely eternity. Things could be worse, they could be worse….

Katherine's eyes widen minuscule but she covers her expression before anyone can notice. She starts rubbing her left wrist with her right hand, nonchalantly leaving Elena with one last sentence before disappearing into the tomb's darkness, "It was Bella's selfish need that you're in this situation right now, Elena; she's to blame for all those loved ones you've lost and will lose."

And things just got worse.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Is everything okay?" Bella's worried voice breaks Elena out of her angry pacing. She freezes as the cold feeling of betrayal runs through her but she tries her best to mask her feelings. But she fails as she catches Bella's confused glance.

"Oh, this is going to be good," Katherine coos, leaning against the tomb entrance with her arms crossed over her chest, a prideful smirk gracing her lips.

"You told me the baby in the painting wasn't your daughter."

"And I asked you a question after that." Damon's right hand goes to Bella's back, his thumb rubbing soothing circles but she pulls away from him, her posture tense and defensive. He masks his twitch by moving a hand towards his forehead.

"You lied!"

Bella smiles, not one emotion evident on her face otherwise. "Then tell me what the truth is."

Elena gapes for a minute. Stefan rubs his hands over his face, just as confused as Damon looks.

"Elena," he begins, wishing more than ever to be away from the enchanted underground prison.

"No," Elena replies, shaking her head. "I want the truth, right now. Katherine told me you lied."

"And you believed her so easily."

There's a stinging sensation in Elena's eyes, and she wonders briefly how the anger within her has dissipated with Bella's tone. Her brows furrow as she realizes her mistake, one that Stefan had been trying to get her to see as she had angrily demanded that Damon bring Bella to the tomb.

"I…I don't know what to believe," she finally replies, her head spinning. "I just want to know the truth," she pleads.

"Answer my question first, Elena. Who's the mother? The one who conceives or the one who gives birth?"

"I don't know, the one who conceives? How can one child be borne of two women?"

"Then I'm not the mother. I merely carried the baby to full term and gave birth."

Silence fills the small, dark area as Damon looks at Bella with conflicting emotions. Even Katherine says nothing as Stefan looks at Elena with disappointed eyes.

"Why don't you guys go home?" he questions, his accusing eyes turned on Katherine as if to explain the reasoning.

"But…" Elena interrupts, before Damon grabs at Bella's waist, marching her out before another word can be uttered.

"Elena, go. Please, just…be careful of what you say," Stefan warns, his eyes cautious.

Elena looks at him with a confused expression, wondering what has gone wrong. What exactly has she said that was so wrong?

Before she can say mutter out any type of farewell, Stefan turns and leaves, not even a 'goodbye' left for Elena. Katherine smirks at her, her eyes smiling in triumph and Elena suddenly wonders of her mistake of trusting Katherine's words. _Regardless_, she consoles herself; _at least I'll finally get the truth._

When she arrives at the boarding house, she finds Damon and Bella sitting on the sofa together. Ignoring the pang of jealousy and the awkwardness at being the third wheel for the first time since she'd met Stefan, she goes to sit opposite of them, trying not to focus on their stiff forms.

Bella doesn't stall. "What else would you like to know, Elena?"

The human in question fidgets, her thumbs twiddling nervously. "How is it possible?"

The calm brunette doesn't need any clarification to know the origin of Elena's question. "You mean conception within a different womb and birth from a different woman? Simple: magic. The original witch…1000 years ago."

"What happened?" Elena questions softly.

"The first doppelganger, your ancestor...your _mother_, was my sister. Tatia Petrova." Damon's hand finds Bella wrist and this time, he doesn't let go as she tugs with little strength. The stiff tension in Bella is clear to any eye, and he moves closer to her on the sofa, trying to provide both support and strength, unable to do anything else.

She continues, a wistful look in her eye, "The moon and the sun curse is a lie. There is no such curse like that."

"So no sacrifice?" Damon questions hopefully.

"There is a sacrifice, but it's not to release vampires from being inferior to the sun nor the werewolves from the moon. It's a curse placed on the third oldest child of the original vampire family, Klaus."

"What kind of curse?" Elena asks, her tone wavering.

"He is a hybrid, both a vampire and a werewolf, only…he's not supposed to exist because of nature's balance."

"But he exists…"

"Because his werewolf side is bind into a curse to keep it dormant. Breaking the curse will unleash that side and he will truly become a hybrid."

"You're a hybrid, though," Elena mumbles out, her thoughts focused on connecting the dots together.

"I wasn't born this way. I wasn't supposed to be alive," Bella replies, her tone low.

"What do you mean?"

"My sister…Tatia was pregnant when she was killed by Klaus's mother. His mother sought to seal the curse within the child in Tatia's womb, only she didn't succeed. A baby is the most innocent being in this world. Sins were present even in those times, and the innocence, the cleanliness of the baby didn't allow a curse to penetrate her, causing the fetus to embed itself into my womb." Bella's tone went low. "Tatia's indiscretions were well known; no one questioned why the younger sister was suddenly showing."

"How was the curse contained, then?"

"Klaus changed into a werewolf once after becoming a vampire, causing a bloodbath across the village; and the witch realized she wasn't successful. The emotions are heightened, particularly during those first few months of becoming a vampire; Klaus missed his emotions, he missed his feelings for Tatia. I shared the same hair and skin color as her, so he kept me as a prisoner, using me as a blood bag and at times, sort of like a 'psychiatrist'. The witch put two and two together considering the date of my delivery. She used a spell to bind the curse into…Tatia's child, using the help of a moonstone."

They sit quietly for a few seconds, trying to absorb Bella's words. Elena's voice cuts through the soothing silence. "Why a moonstone?"

"A moonstone was used for stability, for growth and strength. She wanted to bounce the curse from the child to the moonstone, thinking history would repeat."

"But it didn't, did it?" Damon murmurs, his arm going around Bella as his mind connects all the information.

Elena furrows her brows. "How did you become a hybrid, then?"

"The curse was supposed to go through Klaus to Izavella each time he fed on me; it was then to be bound into the moonstone, only that didn't happen. The witch concentrated too much on the child to know that the curse settled into me instead. The only reason I'm alive is because the witch thought Klaus would eventually kill me. Elijah kept feeding me his blood every time Klaus finished his feed. And when it became clear the baby would be born, the witch tried to restore the balance by helping to rid this plane of the curse permanently. Elijah saved me, saved Izavella…because even if I'm not the mother, I carried her for five months, I couldn't part with her…not like that." Bella's head hangs, her chin nearly touching her chest.

Elena gasps, her fingers tightening into each thigh, nails digging in. "You're going to sacrifice yourself so Klaus can become a hybrid?"

"Not exactly," Bella responds. "It was Tatia's blood that was used to complete Klaus's transformation into a vampire while she was pregnant, and thus, the Petrova line, her bloodline carries a curse, too. After the sacrifice, Klaus will become a hybrid but he won't be able to make any more hybrids without you. We have to make him believe you're dead."

The explanation is simple enough, but Elena's mind isn't on that. "So you're my great something aunt?"

At Bella's nod, a sadness clings to Elena. Is it wrong she wants Bella to be her great-something grandmother rather than the aunt?

"The moonstone's just…nill?" she questions, "Void of everything?"

Damon sighs silently, not wanting to think about the upcoming events at all.

Bella hesitates in the answer. "When the curse bounded off of the child and into me, the witch's spell caused an element to leave my body. The…power of the curse was too big to be contained, but a spell did it. Elena…the moonstone holds my life. I still don't understand the how or why, but it does."

Elena gapes at her, but Bella hurries on without waiting for a comment.

"I know I'm being selfish by wanting some more time, but…. You know those moments when you're so happy, when you can't stop smiling because after a very long time, you've found the one thing, or that one person who can see so much of you without you having to show them? That one person who knows you like the back of their hand but doesn't know you at all? I just…" she hesitates, before shaking her head, not completing her thought. Damon's grip on her waist is tight enough to leave bruises, but she's unable to tell him that, or say anything, because they both know that's all they need right now; the connection that is painful to touch because it makes it seem _real_, and she's afraid if he moves away, it'll all just be left as a dream.

They all turn as the door opens, but before Elena can register what's happening, Bella's out of her seat, blurring towards the figure standing in the Salvatore living room. She smiles at Angela standing awkwardly behind Bella and the man, clutching onto a small suitcase.

"Daddy." She hears nothing else, but the tension slowly eases out of Bella. Her eyes flit towards Damon, expecting to find anything but a smile on his face; she finds nothing but a light expression.

It doesn't matter how strong one is, a father's embrace is always the safest and strongest place.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_I try to breathe as slow and steady as possible. This is one of those moments where I wish vampires didn't have to breathe, but as much as I differ from a human, I still have one same need as them. Humans' blood in my veins needs to be pumped throughout for me to use all my senses and abilities. Difference is, humans need food to make blood and I need their blood to live._

_Your auburn curls spill onto the pillow next to me, but you lay your head on my chest. My eyes trace your small forehead, for once without a crease of worry. Your sparkling brown eyes are hidden from my view, but your pale pink eyelids with long brown lashes on the end are just as fascinating. My eyes move past your tiny button nose to your full pink lips, for once not curled in a smirk or a superior half-grin. The sides are uplifted a little in a small, happy smile…the smile similar in likes of a child given their favorite toy. The way you lay your head on my chest makes your curls fall back to the other side of your shoulder, in the process exposing the ivory smooth skin of a small part of your back to my eyes._

_My right hand lifts unintentionally, a finger barely brushing against the pink apple of your cheek in a light caress._

_I wonder who you are. The parts you told me of your life are dark, but you live to bring a smile to another's face. It's invigorating to see a vampire who has no hope for herself yet believes in all others. Either that or you have no self-preservation. There's more to you than your ordeal with Klaus and his family and Katherine; there just is. I won't ask anymore; I don't think I can survive seeing a broken expression on your face, nor you pulling away from me._

_I wonder who I am in your presence. In broad daylight amongst 'friends', you tease me relentlessly. You make me smile genuinely when all I want to do is curse at whatever power controls me, controls everyone, controls situations, and all it does is control, control, control. You make me want to grasp that control back. You make me want to grab a hold of my own destiny and make my own path. You make me re-think my actions and for once in my life, I find myself wanting to think before I do something. For once in my life, I don't want to be impulsive. I_ can't _be impulsive with you; I have to put my head into Klaus's sacrifice situation if I want to keep you with me. For once in my life, I want to let go of all resistance and fall into the dark, empty abyss where I know you'll be waiting for me, and then it won't be dark anymore. Even more than that, I want you to do the same. I want you to trust me._

_Unknowingly, my hand has drifted away from your face. My fingers rest along the smooth curve of your neck while my thumb moves gently across your cheek. I will myself to stop, to pull my hand back for you haven't slept well the past few days, but I am helpless against my own actions. I cannot move my hand away from you for fear that you'll no longer be here tomorrow, I won't be able to hold myself together._

_Your head lies just in the crook of my neck, your warm breath soothing my body from its tense form. When your hand moves to clutch my shirt just above my heart, I bring my hand back from your neck, only to open your hand and lay your warm palm over my heart, my own on top of yours._

_._

_._

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about the delay. I'm not sure when I'll post again, but I can promise to send out the previews to the reviewers at the latest by this Friday. :)<br>**

_*Twiddles thumbs* Nervous about this chapter again. Was it worth the wait? Below expectations? I wanted Bella's story to be different than what other stories have, so this came to mind. Hints were left in the previous chapters, and I have more surprises coming up in the next few chapters!  
><em>

**Add me on Facebook for teasers or to have a chat: [**_Corrupt Subduction_**] or click on the link on my profile.**

**I host a FB group now, [**_Bambi's Beloveds_**], where everyone is welcomed to join and post pictures, post links, recommend stories, or to talk about anything and everything. We're a friendly bunch and we love meeting new people. :)  
><strong>


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-reader, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **for leaving me her thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.**** Apologies to **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_** for not waiting. :(  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>We have fallen<br>We have fallen again tonight  
>Where do we go from here<br>When they're tearing down our lives?  
>When all they want is<br>When all they want is  
>For us to live in fear<br>How long can we hold on?  
>Can we hold on?<br>Hold on

There's something deep inside  
>That keeps my faith alive<br>When all you can do  
>Is hide from the fear<br>That's deep inside of you  
>Something, something, something<br>Something, something, something  
>To hold me close when I don't know<br>There's something deep inside  
>That keeps my faith alive<p>

We are healing  
>But it's killing us inside<br>Can we take a chance?  
>When faith and fear collide<br>We can make it  
>Step out and take it<br>We can't live feeling so numb  
>How long can we hold on?<br>Can we hold on?  
>Hold on<p>

-Skillet

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Katherine told me bits and pieces."

"Did she now?" Bella raises an eyebrow at the wilting vampire. She shuffles the deck of cards in her hands, the action a mere blur.

"Time goes by too slowly in here. I suggested a better time pass," Katherine starts with a wicked smirk, "but he didn't agree."

Stefan rolls his eyes towards Bella. "How is Elena?"

She shrugs in response. "I haven't seen her since yesterday. Bonnie and Jeremy are with her."

"At her house?"

"At the Boarding house."

"And Damon?"

"He went to look for Rose," she replies.

"Look for her?"

Bella nods. "She left after Elijah showed up at Slater's place, and hasn't been back since."

"Is that a bother?"

"She said she'd be back." She frowns, not paying Katherine's snort even the slightest bit of attention.

"And Tyler?"

"According to Caroline, he should be turning into a wolf tonight."

"Are you going to be watching over him?"

She nods in response, her eyes scanning over the cards in her hands.

"Go fish."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Fascinating…" Charlie mumbles out, his eyes staring at the blood sample on the little white strip under the microscope.

"What are you doing?" Bonnie asks, her face scrunched up as if she'd smelled something particularly disgusting.

"I'm trying to locate a scientific explanation as to why Bella's blood and Elena's blood have a magnetic field."

"Why?"

He looks over his unnecessary glasses and blinks at Bonnie. "Why not?"

She gapes at him for a second before looking towards her equally confused looking friend for support.

"What she meant to ask is," Elena begins, pausing slightly to gather her thoughts, "There's actually scientific reason behind something like this? I mean, witchcraft doesn't have any explanation behind it, so why would other supernatural happenings?" As soon as she's finished saying the question, Elena blushes; saying it out loud just makes her feel…naïve, as if her believing in magic is something so childish. She keeps her eyes trained on Charlie, afraid of Bonnie's reaction to her words; she has a feeling her best friend already knew why she'd blushed.

House arrest had sounded as fun as being held in prison earlier, but with Angela and Charlie setting up their little 'lab' in the library of the Salvatore house, it had been anything but. She'd been glued to the couch, staring as both Charlie and Angela worked with different colored liquids and mumbled things she didn't understand to each other. Bonnie had joined her just a few minutes ago and her questions seemed endless. Elena had been too busy staring at Charlie's black rimmed glasses that made his brown eyes seem cartoon-ishly large to see he'd even pricked her finger for a drop of blood to examine.

"Who says witchcraft doesn't have an explanation behind it?" Charlie cocks his eyebrow.

Bonnie leans forward, her attention caught. "You mean it does?" she questions disbelievingly.

"Of course it does. Everything has explanations behind it."

"So how do you explain the magic powers."

"Simple," he starts, his thumb and index finger twirling his mustache. "There's a certain wave within the brain that…vibrates when the time is right within a witch; that brain wave then calls out to its dead ancestors and they provide the witch powers to continue on their lineage."

Bonnie's lips form a small 'o'. "What?"

Charlie sighs, his face void of any humor and any expression. "Witches have a loose screw in their brains. Basically."

Bonnie's lip twist, not necessarily in anger, but not in laughter either, unlike the rest of the room occupants.

"Dad?" Bella calls out from behind them, her head peeking in through the door. "A minute?"

"Of course." He mutters something to Angela, too low for Elena to hear, and then walks to his daughter, holding out an arm, bent slightly at the elbow.

Elena smiles gently at the display; while her own dad never treated her like a 1800s father, Bella's and Charlie's relationships brought up memories of Grayson. Those moments flashing through her mind make her feel both happy and sad; happy at the fact that she had so much time with her parents throughout her life—considering the possibility of Klaus finding her and sacrificing her—and sadness at the loss of time. If her parents really had been hunters, would they have accepted Stefan? Would they have accepted Damon?

Elena's startled out of her silent thoughts by the echoing of _Damon _in her mind. He's her boyfriend's brother…so it makes sense. There's no other reason why she'd worry about her parents—had they been here—getting along with Damon. She tries to console herself by repeating that.

Bonnie's elbow strikes her gently in the waist. Elena turns to look at her witch friend, immediately understanding her signal to wanting to talk away from ears.

They excuse themselves, but Angela doesn't even look up from her work; she gives them both a low 'bye'.

"She told you? Everything? Just like that?" Bonnie fires of the question.

Elena's discomfort goes unnoticed by Bonnie. "Yeah…"

"Didn't she give you some pathetic reason for it not being the 'right time'?" the witch mocks, her fingers making quotes.

"No," Elena replies sharply, immediately in a defensive state. "And she was right—it hadn't been the right time before."

"How so?"

"If Stefan…or Damon, for that matter, found out I was to be sacrificed, would they have trusted Bella? They would've done everything they could to get me to safety, without thinking much of what their actions might lead to in the end."

Bonnie stares at Elena, her beady eyes intense.

"If they had found out Bella's past with the original vampires, I doubt they would've been welcoming, or whether any of us would've been welcoming! Klaus wants to kill me, Elijah was after me, and Bella had been in close relations to them both."

"How are you so sure she can be trusted?"

"Because I know she will always put herself after me. I know she will sacrifice herself before she'll let anything happen to me. She's already done it before! She died when she saved Stefan. It's not proof, Bonnie." Elena's voice drops, and her brows furrow together, a sad, pleading look on her face. "It's a feeling. Do you remember how you trusted Lucy and gave her the moonstone? This feeling I get around Bella is just like that, probably more, probably less, but sometimes trust is everything. Sometimes, physical proof isn't necessary to _believe_."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"You're having a change of heart," Charlie states.

Bella looks towards her feet, smiling sadly. "I'm being selfish, I know. Elena hasn't had time to live in this world and I've had centuries. I can't help it." She shrugs helplessly. "Is that so wrong?"

His wise, slightly red eyes stare ahead, a wistful expression on his face."Of course not. Although, I can't help but feel a little disheartened." His tone is teasing, but his eyes tighten.

Bella squeezes his arm, trying to find words for explanation, and failing.

"I can understand, sweetheart," he says. "I may be a little jealous, though."

She grins at him and pecks him on the cheek affectionately. "Did you find anything yet?"

"I may have." Her head snaps towards his, and she lets hope slip into her heart. "But I'm not able to figure it out. It was Ayanna's magic and will that led to the incident."

"So the only way to reverse the spell would be through a _willing_ Bennett witch," Bella finishes for him. "I doubt Bonnie will help, then."

"Why not?"

"She doesn't trust me. It's as clear as day. She still doubts that I would be willing to give up my life for Elena."

"I'm getting close. I know it."

Bella squeezes his arm, and no further response is needed.

"Oh, and I'm taking the Sheriff out for dinner tonight."

"Are you?" She raises her eyebrow, curiosity lacing her voice.

"Sure am. I might be able to get something out of her about the person who let your guys' secret slip. You know…Damon gave me the idea, told me to talk to her at the Grill and make a move." He winks at her.

"And since when does Damon know about our little plans?"

"Since _you_ started excluding him."

She gasps mockingly. "I do not exclude him! He just wasn't home."

"Mm hm."

As she's about to respond, her cell phone vibrates in her back jeans pocket.

She unlocks the touch screen, smiling instantly at the message.

_Let me know when you get home._

Her fingers are a blur as she types back a response, trying to calm her speeding heart at the mention of 'home,' _Will do. Where are you?_

What exactly is home, anyway? She'd very rarely heard Damon call the Boarding House a 'home'. And when had she begun to think of it as her home? She'd lived in countless houses, never thinking of any as home except for Charlie's cabin. There is an odd sense of peace at the Boarding House—it's a place that gives her peace, a sense of belonging…a place where she can breathe easily, knowing there are people around who would have her back, whether because of who she is, or who she is connected to.

Buzz.

_Heading home. _

There's that word again.

Buzz.

_Miss me? ;) _

She laughs at his teasing.

_YES, I do. _

Buzz.

_See you soon. _

An expression of pure content crosses over Charlie's face as he watches the girl who saved him, the girl he thinks of as his own daughter find happiness for the first time since Chicago.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"I may be able to get the barrier open for a few seconds, enough to get Stefan out."

"But we risk letting Katherine out, too," Jeremy points out. His voice is cautious, hesitant, and it's clear to everybody in the room that he isn't exactly comfortable talking about a something he's responsible for.

"We have to take the risk, though," Elena insists.

"How would you be able to, Bonnie?" Bella interrupts.

Bonnie stutters, trying to gather words to put her thoughts into words. Four pairs of eyes watch her with different expressions on their faces; suspicious, questioning, encouraging and blank.

The witch sighs, wondering if it would be wrong to let a family's secret out to others. A wave of guilt hits her; she'd only known the warlock for a few days yet she feels as if she owes him something, owes him to keep his secret just to herself.

She takes a deep breath, pushing the guilt to the back of her mind. "Luca, the guy I was paired with for the parenting project…he's a warlock. A good one. And I could probably ask him to he—"

"No."

She freezes, turning towards Elena. "Excuse me?"

"Is there a way to get his help without telling him anything?"

Bonnie gapes at her childhood friend, but Elena doesn't give an explanation for her request. How can she? They won't _understand_. Too many people are already involved in this; including more wouldn't make anything easier. It'll just be another life in her conscious if something happens to him.

"Maybe," Bonnie answers slowly. "I could channel him."

Elena nods, her spine stiff. "Good."

Alaric and Bella exchange a glance, while Jeremy looks on between Bonnie and Elena in confusion. None of them are able to deduce Elena's sudden change.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"I found her."

The monotone in Damon's voice makes the smile disappear from Bella's face. Alaric and she had just been talking about bullets with a glass front, so when it hit its target, the content within the bullet would be released within the target's body, the steel back making sure no harm came to the glass part while being triggered from within the gun. Her heart had skipped a beat when she saw Damon's name on her cell's caller id.

"What happened to her?" The concern for Rose isn't visible, but there is an undertone towards it. Rose had never really bonded with her, but for Damon, she's been a friend, the kind that he's never found in Elena, because she'd judge him; the kind he's never found in Stefan, because he wouldn't understand; the kind he hadn't found in her, because there is still a part of her heart that belongs to Edward.

"She's dead. Tortured. Wolf bite."

He doesn't wait for a respond, and she doesn't give one. They both hang up, knowing there's nothing to be said.

She's further intrigued. Caroline had been with Tyler all last night; she knows because she had checked in. She hadn't smelled another werewolf around the town. A frown makes its way to Bella's face as she realizes she must've been too distracted to notice a looming threat, plain in sight.

.

.

.

.

Elena rubs two fingers on her left temple in circles in vain hope that the headache will go away before anyone notices her flinching every few seconds. She feels Jeremy's arm brushing against hers to get her attention and brings her hand to her lap, smiling at him reassuringly. Damon had gotten home, and since then, a gloomy mood had loomed over all the members inside the house.

His mood hadn't been, nor is anything but dark. She misses Stefan more than ever as she notices soft glances stolen between Damon and Bella.

"I'm sorry." She cringes right away as the words leave her mouth. She didn't mean to say it, and from Damon's humorless snort, it had been the last thing he'd wanted to hear. She had always criticized and hated it when everyone in Mystic Falls had apologized for her parents' death, but she just realizes that those words aren't planned—they just are said in the moment of grief. Those words are so commonly used around that it's hard to filter them out of conversation during times of sorrow.

"I know you cared for her," she offers.

"I didn't." His defense is weak, and his tone weaker. No one believes him, but they don't approach the subject again.

Elena excuses herself, the throbbing in her temples increasing tenfold. Her feet wobble as she climbs the stairs to Stefan's room, her legs trembling. She gasps for breath as a drop of sweat makes its way down the side of her face, the shaking in her legs getting worse. She feels cold hands on her arms, yet sees no one. She tries to scream out for help, but her throat closes up, her legs give out and the cold hands pull her further away from reality, locking her behind a cage within her own mind.

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>Uhm, hi. *Sheepish wave* I don't really have an excuse for the delay in getting this chapter done. But I tried; that counts for something, right? I've been writing 100 words every day until I slapped myself today and forced my hands to write this. So. Yeah.<br>**

_As always, reviewers get lengthy previews of the next chapter. Leave me some love? It helps me write faster._**  
><strong>

**Add me on Facebook for teasers or to have a chat: [**_Corrupt Subduction_**] or click on the link on my profile. I also host a group [  
><strong>_Bambi's Beloveds_**] on Facebook. Join us; we're a friendly bunch.  
><strong>


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my pre-readers, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.****  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>The world seems not the same<br>Though I know nothing has changed  
>It's all my state of mind<br>I can't leave it all behind  
>I have to stand up to be stronger<p>

I have to try  
>To break free<br>From the thoughts in my mind  
>Use the time that I have<br>I can say goodbye  
>Have to make it right<br>Have to fight  
>'Cause I know in the end it's worthwhile<br>That the pain that I feel slowly fades away  
>It will be all right<p>

I know  
>I should realize<br>Time is precious  
>It is worthwhile<br>Despite how I feel inside  
>Have to trust it'll be alright<br>Have to stand up to be stronger

-Within Temptation

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Hi, Tyler."

The teenager looks up, his eyes crinkling around the corner in confusion when he realizes his health teacher is sitting next to him…in a bar.

"Mr. Lefebvre," he greets back, trying to mask his discomfort.

"Please. We're not in class. Call me Jason." _Jason_ orders a glass of gin.

Tyler starts pushing his tequila shot glasses away from him with his pinky, trying to be discreet, but the smirk on Jason's face informs him he's failed.

"Are you okay?"

Tyler rocks his head. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you've been distracted lately, and I'm pretty sure I've noticed some cuts on you."

Tyler shifts his eyes to his fingers, twining them together nervously. The intensity of Jason's eyes burns into his left temple, and Tyler is forced to meet his teacher's eyes. He stays silent, but his confusion grows as he notices a flash of yellow go across Jason's eyes for a time so brief, that Tyler believes he's just been mistaken. But there's a jaded, knowing look in Jason's eyes and that makes him curious.

"I've just been adding some late night activities to my agenda," he replies in a monotone.

Jason chuckles. "Tell me about it." He sighs, and then gives a knowing look to Tyler once again, hoping he'd ask before the teacher spills.

When Tyler doesn't say anything and instead plays with a plain, silver ring on his hand, Jason starts, "You know, I saw you coming out of the woods one night." With that, Tyler's head snaps up, eyes looking panicked. "Tyler, I wouldn't go in there if I were you. There are dangerous animals there." While there is only a helpful statement from the teacher, the tone of his voice is entirely different—it's knowing, as if he knows just what kind of animals are in the wood, as if he knows just who, or _what_ Tyler really is.

Jason downs his drink like a shot and stands up, putting a hefty amount of bills on the bar. He claps his hand heavily on Tyler's shoulder, leaning in to whisper, "_I'm_ not the enemy, Tyler; I'm just like you. I can help." He straightens himself up before pushing the tequila shots towards the younger boy. "On me. Relax."

Tyler is left to his own racing thoughts. While the teacher had said many things his mind can concentrate on, the main thing left on his mind is: _enemy_. Jason knew of Caroline's nature; he _knew_ and now Tyler knows that. He'd said enemy with such distaste, as if he was disappointed in Tyler for being around Caroline. Why's there a sudden feeling of disappointment in himself? One thing's for sure: Tyler is going to go see Jason. There are too many unanswered questions to pass this opportunity up.

The thought that Jason might betray him or is lying didn't even come up in Tyler's mind. He just knows he has to go. He races out of his chair to catch up with his teacher.

.

.

.

.

Her eyes open with a snap, and she closes them immediately, the bright glare of the sun burning like a thousand little pricks. She groans, her throat feeling like sandpaper. A strong, gentle hand moves behind her neck and lifts her head up, putting a cool glass on her lips. She gulps down the water greedily, the chilled liquid providing relief. The red color behind her eyelids disappears and she peeks through one open eye. She opens both fully when she sees Damon standing by the now-closed curtains, sending him a thankful glance.

"What happened?" Her voice sounds groggy, as if she'd just woken up from a long, restful sleep.

"You fainted," Stefan's worried voice rings above her head. She notices his posture, his hand under her head and his arms practically cradling her protectively. Her eyes roam around his face rapidly, noticing the worrying lines on his forehead and his signature furrowed brows. The last time she'd seen that furrowed brow was when Damon had done something wrong.

"Fainted?" she questions back cautiously.

"Yeah. We didn't hear anything until you'd hit the floor." Stefan's eyes are more troubled than before.

"How long have I been passed out?"

She doesn't get an immediate answer, but she does notice hesitant looks that pass between the three people in the room.

"A few hours," Stefan answers.

Her head falls back onto the soft pillow and she groans. There's lingering effects of the headache—silent throbbing in her left temple, but she can't remember much. She remembers walking to Stefan's bedroom after talking to Damon about something and then it's black. There's nothing there; no memory. There isn't even a memory of her reaching Stefan's room. Her mind is dark, black, as if her memories have been erased.

Her eyes feel heavy as the fatigue catches up with her. With Stefan's comforting hand holding hers protectively, she slips into a deep slumber, not feeling the sharp intrusions on her mind.

.

.

.

.

Elena wakes again; her fatigue still apparent to her, but there is something nagging at the back of her mind, as if she's missing something important.

"Hey," a soft murmur startles her, and she pulls the covers up to her chest, as if they'll protect her against any danger.

Bella lowers herself onto the comforter of the bed gently as to not frighten the younger girl.

"How long…?"

"A few hours." The answer is vague, and Elena doesn't ask her sister-like-friend to elaborate.

"Where's Stefan?"

The worry hadn't been as apparent on Bella's face as it is now—her frown deepens and her brows come together to form two parallel lines between her eyebrows. She says her sentence slowly, "He's still in the tomb, Elena."

"What? But he was just here, with you and Damon."

"It was Bonnie here with us, Elena. She hasn't been able to open the tomb door yet."

With her thoughts racing, Elena falls back onto the bed in a restless position, with Bella's soothing hand running through her hair, rubbing her scalp. The hybrid doesn't leave Elena's side until she's sound asleep.

.

.

.

.

Magic perhaps isn't the strongest thing in the world, nor is love. Maybe it's will that's the strongest. After all, isn't it will that unites two lovers? It was Katherine's will to live that let her betray any one she loved. Bella's never found her will crumbling for anything she's wanted; if she loved, her will rose to give her the most courage to overcome any difficulties.

It is that will that allows Elijah to send a message to Bella, without the means of magic, without the means of any technological devices. It is because of Bella's will that causes her footsteps to lead her into an abandoned warehouse just a little outside of Mystic Falls. She can't let anyone else die so she could live, so she could be happy. This isn't who she is; this never was. The only thing she'd known was love that helped her survive all these centuries; first came the love of her sister, and then her niece that grew in her own womb and then finally, the love of a family and an equal standing partner.

"Isabella." The greeting isn't warm, nor is it cold. It's said with indifference, and Bella's stomach tightens as she turns around to face her savior.

"Elijah," she breathes out, her face stoic, but her eyes are displaying her emotions: happiness at seeing a familiar face, gratefulness at still owing him and guilt at running away with the baby.

"I won't waste your time; I heard you've been busy." It's not curiosity, nor disgust in his words. The indifference in his voice renders Bella with more guilt as she imagines the things he'd gone through because of her selfishness; he's just another person to add to that growing list.

He continues without waiting for a response thankfully, "It's time to pay me back." A debt to a vampire is just like signing your soul to the devil; there's no way to get out of repaying it.

Bella stands with her back straight, her face blank. It's clear to her now that this is just a business call; she'd been unwise to think of it as anything else. In a twisted way, it eases her because it's what she deserves; she's wrong to want anything else.

"What do you want?"

"The moonstone," he answers, without missing a beat.

"Why?"

"You know why."

"I want you to tell me."

Her arms come across her chest in a defensive stance. She's never seen this side of him before—she's never seen him since her 'death' period. He's changed, yet he hasn't changed at all. His long brown hair has been cut short, enough to brush off towards the side for a sophisticated look; the tux looks ridiculously thick on him, but it grants him a vision of charm. His eyes…the warm brown eyes she'd been accustomed to, the brown eyes that she'd kept in her memory have been replaced by years' worth of pain and wariness.

Elijah takes a step closer to her, and then another and another until he's close enough for her to breathe in his calming aftershave. "Klaus went into hiding."

"So I've heard." Emily hadn't mentioned it, but laying out her vulnerable cards on the table in front of the original wouldn't be the smartest move.

"I need the moonstone to bring him out."

"You want the history to repeat itself, Elijah? I needn't remind you of what happened with Katerina, do I?"

His eyes harden. "I've ensured it won't happen again."

Bella's curiosity helps her reach within Elijah's mind, trying to figure out his next course of plan. She can't wipe the look of sheer shock from her face in time as she finds it silent. He couldn't have known…there isn't a way for him to know unless he'd been keeping tabs on her.

"You didn't think I'd be keeping an eye on you, Isa?"

She shrugs in response, her mind working a mile a minute.

"I'll give you the moonstone," she says back, ignoring his question.

One side of his lips quirk up in a small smirk. "You want me to tell you why."

It's a statement, and even now, after all this time, he knows her so well. Elijah takes another step closer to her, moving just a bit to circle around her, his tux-covered chest brushing the length of her arm. He moves around her again, so that he is pressed against her back lightly. He tilts his head closer to the side of hers, his lips grazing her ear.

"No one knows Klaus better than you do," he murmurs softly, his voice a mere hum. Bella doesn't react to his close proximity; it's one of his intimidating tactics—nothing more than an action to gain the upper hand. Elijah steps back to being in front of her when she doesn't respond. "It can lure him out."

"You mean it's your last hope," she counters.

He hesitates before sighing in agreement.

Bella stares at the man who taught her how to be a vampire. She remembers him as being anally moral, do nothing wrong, someone whose entire life depended on his family…yet the man that stands before her today is someone who is looking for revenge, something that has been wronged and in the processed, has become wise.

He needs the moonstone, and what does Bella need? _Trust. Time._ _To repay the favor to Elena for her strength._ Would it be a fair trade? Her mind is made.

"I'll give you the moonstone, _if_," she starts, "If you do as I say."

His appraising look is all the approval she needs before laying out her plans in front of him.

.

.

.

.

The fire is harsh to look at for Elena, as her headache from the previous hours is still present. Stefan's entrapment with her look-alike isn't helping calm her state of mind. There are fuzzy details in her mind, but there are black splotches more so. She's thankful because it'll prevent her headache from increasing, but she resents the darkness because she cannot understand what is happening.

Damon is standing by the tomb entrance, waiting for Bella. He's quiet; very, very quiet. She doesn't know how to comfort him; she's lost a friend before, she's lost loved ones, but everyone's grief is different, as are their methods of handling it. Damon's changed from before, there is no doubt about that; with a bitter feel at the pit of her stomach, she realizes that she doesn't really know the man she once convinced to trust her with just a few sentences. He's so different that she's completely in uncharted territory as to how to approach him to comfort him.

Stefan seems the complete opposite of him; he's exhausted, and Elena's not sure if it's because of being stuck in the tomb or his lack of sleep for some reason. He's leaning on the invisible force of the wall of the tomb, watching Bonnie with a small, hopeful look in his eyes.

Elena doesn't even bother looking at Katherine; there is no need. She can already guess the bitter vampire's expression.

The flames increase as Bonnie's chanting gets stronger, each word being punctuated with emphasis before she falls to her knees as the candles around her go out, blood dripping from her nose.

Elena hurries to her friend, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to help the witch up.

"I can't," Bonnie pants, her expression of defeat. "I almost had it, almost." x

"It's okay," Elena murmurs to her. It's not, but there isn't much they can do.

"What happened?"

Elena's head snaps to see Bella walking slowly into the tomb. The thought of asking where Bella was stays rooted in her mind; she doesn't ask. She watches as Bella stops near Damon, as if she's gravitating towards him unconsciously. It makes Stefan's distance even more noticeable.

"The connection broke," Bonnie says in a monotone.

Katherine releases an aggravated breath, and when no one so much as looks towards her, she huffs and ventures back into the dark cave.

Bella shrugs. "There's another witch nearby that would always love to help."

"She's not ready yet." Elena's thoughts are ranging, from questions to inputs about why Bonnie wouldn't ask for Angela's help. Bella had proven before of Angela's capabilities.

Bella doesn't miss a beat. "Why don't you try channeling Emily?"

The witch looks at her with a confused expression, so Bella elaborates, "She's your ancestor, Bonnie. She would be able to lend you the extra hand you'd need."

"But…but I can't do that," Bonnie stutters.

"Why not?"

"Because I've never done that before. There's nothing about it in the grimoire."

Bella approaches the duo cautiously, as if they were animals she didn't want to scare away. She extends her hand, and Bonnie grabs it after a few seconds of hesitation. Discomfort with the situation is clearly displayed on the witch's face, but one look at her pleading friend has her mind made.

With Bella's encouragement, Bonnie starts to chant again, her eyes slowly sliding shut. Elena, Stefan and Damon watch in amazement as the candles light up, the flames licking the ceiling of the tomb and staying as high. Three things happen at the same time: Stefan falls face first onto the thick dirt floor, Bella speeds away from Bonnie, breaking their connection to keep Katherine from leaving the tomb and all the lights go out, leaving behind just a cold wind.

The moonlight from the entrance of the tomb isn't enough for Elena and Bonnie to move safely, while the vampires' eyes adjust to the darkness; Damon grabs them both and leads them outside, coming back for Stefan.

"I'm just going to get this taken care of," Bella informs Damon as his eyes find her. He nods, grabbing his brother and leaving the place in a mere blur.

Bella turns back to Katherine.

"Hi, Bells."

Bella's eyes stay rooted on Katherine as she calls out softly, "Elijah."

The widening of Katherine's eyes and her surprised gasp is all Bella needs to hear before she walks out, her ears trying to block out her descendant's pleading voice to be let go of. She doesn't react as Elijah compels the vampire, and she doesn't react when he comes up behind her, his hands clasped behind his torso.

"Done just as you wanted; Jonas made sure Bonnie did not feel his aura." When she doesn't respond, he continues, "I do hope you keep your end of the deal, Isabella."

"I will."

He leaves, and she closes her eyes to brace herself against the impact that she's certain is coming.

And just as she predicted, little piercings start pounding in her head, as Emily's words start floating in her mind.

_"You're treading a dangerous road, Isabella. You're only leading yourself to the heartbreak." _If only this path is easy to leave….

With that, Bella decides she'll tell Damon everything; taking advantage of his grief over Rose to sneak out to meet Elijah doesn't sound respectable at all. He'll protest, but he'll trust her in the end—his trust is all that matters at the moment for her; it's his trust in her that will help her gather her courage.

.

.

.

.

Elena's hand rubs Bonnie's back soothingly. She's a bit surprised at how calm her friend is acting, after the tomb spell exhaustion, as well as the finding out she'll be able to channel her ancestors. It's a scary thought for even Elena to entertain in her mind: to have that much power…or at least access to that power.

Damon and Stefan still aren't back, but Elena doesn't worry. After starving in the tomb for the past few days, Stefan would need his fill. The dynamics of their relationship has altered, Elena realizes.

"I'm fine, Elena." She isn't hurt that Bonnie shook her hand off; she'd been coddling her friend for the past few minutes a little too much; perhaps to show her gratitude for trusting Bella for her sake.

She can't, however, stop the sarcastic remark to fall from her lips, "Yeah, I can see that."

Bonnie shrugs helplessly, unable to pinpoint her exact feelings and describe it. "I just expected something else, you know?"

Elena shakes her head, so Bonnie keeps talking.

"Do you remember when Emily destroyed the moonstone with her connection through me? I felt this sense of security surrounding me; I felt at _home, _and I knew she didn't want to hurt me. It's a little like the same feeling I felt around Angela, as if I can trust her just because of her relation to me through her witch side. But today? I felt the opposite of it all. I felt cold, chilled to my bone; there wasn't any sense of protection. Maybe I'm just over thinking this." Bonnie's lips are pursed, her eyes narrowed in concentration.

"Or maybe it's because you still don't trust Bella," Elena replies.

Rendered surprised, Bonnie doesn't reply; this had been the same reason she'd been trying to convince herself of, but she's certain this wasn't it. Bella had nothing to do with that feeling of dread that crept up on her in the tomb for once.

But it wouldn't hurt to talk to her, Bonnie thinks. Bella's powers are known to her, even if the hybrid herself didn't showcase them. Maybe, just maybe, Bella would be the one to save Elena in the end after all. If not for anything else but her friend's life, Bonnie would have to grab the friendly hand that Bella had extended to her weeks ago. She'd do it for Elena. Just for Elena.

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>Hiiiii. It's been awhile, hasn't it? I was hit with a bit of writer's block, but the amazing ladies on Bambi's Beloveds cheered me right up and gave me the encouragement (read: push and a kick to the shin) to finish writing this. <strong>**  
><strong>

_As always, reviewers get a lengthy preview of the next chapter. Leave me some love? It helps me write faster. I also give lengthy teasers on Bambi's Beloveds if you're interested in them. ;) _**  
><strong>


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my betas, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.****  
><strong>

**I recently went through a name change. :) From Corrupted Subduction to M. M. Kaur.  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Your call is coming<br>I'm dreaming away  
>For what lies hidden<br>It needs to be found

Sounds of freedom make me wanna try

When the ghosts are found  
>They will lead us to tomorrow<br>Sounds of freedom make me wanna try  
>Voices forgotten I hear them close by<br>Ghosts from the past  
>I can see through their eyes<br>Are these the ancestors leaving me signs?

Sounds of freedom make me wanna try

-Within Temptation

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

**Previous chapters: **

**-Bella plans on sacrificing herself  
>-Elijah makes a deal with Bella<br>-Bella decides to duo up with Bonnie  
><strong>

"Thanks for meeting me here," Bonnie says, her thumbs twiddling nervously. She looks up from her coffee to Bella, who's sitting with a small smile on her face.

"Not a problem, though it was hard to shrug off Damon," Bella teases in reply.

"I'd imagine." The snarky tone is clear in Bonnie's voice, but Bella takes it lightly. There's beef between the witch and the vampire, but not so much as between the two ladies. And it's clear to Matt, too, who Bella can see spying on them, as if to keep an eye on them to stop any fighting that may ensue. It brings a smirk to her face.

When Bella doesn't say anything further, Bonnie continues, "When I channeled…Emily, was that her power or was it you with Emily's powers?"

It's a confusing question, but one Bella understands perfectly fine. "It was Emily. I haven't been provided with her powers for awhile."

"Why not?"

Bella shrugs. "There hasn't been a need."

"How does it work?"

"It's not an obligation, Bonnie. Ayanna—your ancestor—spent her life cloaking me from the Original family. She wanted what every witch wants, to keep the balance of nature. Klaus has wanted to disturb that since he found out about his werewolf lineage. Emily simply wished to help me along the way. She would answer any questions I had."

"But you're powerful. Why would you need her?"

"I have experience on my hand and my immortality. There are more things in the world that can be powerful. So, to answer your question, I cannot cloak myself, nor can I perform any spells without a witch's assistance. Like I said, Emily's been helping only when I need it; there isn't a situation I'm not aware of at the moment, so I need her not."

That catches the curious witch's attention. "Wait a minute. Sorry, did you say you're aware of everything right now? As in the Elijah kidnapping Elena and his intention? Or even Katherine and her reason for being here?"

"Yes."

The simple answer irks her, and she doesn't make an effort to hide her annoyance.

Bella starts before Bonnie can get a word in, "Elena knows. That's all that matters at the moment for me. You wanted to ask me about Emily, did you not? "

She weighs her options; either she can continue pestering for answers about a topic Bella clearly won't relent on and anger her, or she can get the answers that the hybrid is willing to give.

Bonnie sighs. "Last time I felt Emily's powers, they were familiar. Last night, it was anything but. Why is that?"

Bella doesn't wait a beat. Either her mind is working too fast for Bonnie's human pace, or she's already thought of her answer beforehand. "It can depend on your outlook towards the person you're channeling your ancestor from. Last time, it was she who channeled you, wasn't it? And you'd asked her to appear in front of you. I'm still a stranger, Bonnie; you consider me an outsider. That negative energy you have towards me can manifest into a cold, distant feeling that will still be there as long as you can feel me regardless of whose protection you are under."

Her words aren't said with bitterness, but rather in a completely nonchalant way, as if she's used to being judged by her…species. The stab of guilt that hits Bonnie is too sudden, too surprising, and it causes her to jerk in her seat.

The action isn't missed by Bella's sharp gaze. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I'm just speaking as I see things."

"It's just…I'm trying not to discriminate," Bonnie replies, her voice a little thick. "I just don't know you as well as Elena apparently does. I don't trust like she does."

"Understandable. I can't hold self-preservation against you. But, Bonnie…" she trails off, leaning forward a little. "We need to come to an even ground if we want to save Elena. Isn't our goal the same? Keep Elena alive and human at any cost?"

"Yes." The agreement is immediate; there's no hesitation.

"I'll offer you a deal. Meet me tonight at the cemetery at midnight; I'll give you something that can ensure my word that saving Elena is my only intention."

"Cemetery at midnight?" Her heart beats have increased; graveyard at the middle of the night, to go see Bella no less? What's to say she won't pounce on her, or use powers to bend Bonnie to her will?

"Calm your heart. If I'll be doing you favor this big, I'd like to know that you can at least give me the benefit of a doubt." Still no bitterness, but it doesn't calm the witch down at all.

"Is everything okay here?" Matt inquires, his gaze hard as he looks between the two women. He's changed back into his regular clothes, indicating the end of his shift.

"Hi, Matt," Bella quips. "I'm just leaving, actually. I have a date with Damon." She doesn't, but they don't have to know that. She's aware Bonnie needs some time to think, and that Matt will want to sit with her for awhile to make sure everything's fine.

The last thing she hears before breaking off into a run outside The Grill is, "What's going on?" A smile makes its way to her face, and she wishes she could stay to hear the answer.

.

.

.

.

Her arms wound around his lean torso, hands clasping together over his as she presses a kiss to his stiff shoulder before laying her right cheek on his upper back. She can't remember the last time she's felt so safe, so warm. She wants to let the stress of the previous centuries fade away and sink into all that is _Damon._

"Hi." It's not a necessary greeting, but it's whispered so that the moment isn't broken.

Bella remains silent, trying to relax her tense state, but she knows it'll be near impossible until he knows. Relationships don't last on deceit, and betrayal is the last form of hurt she wants to press onto him. Truth has always been the foundation of their relationship, and she doesn't want to change that now.

He pulls away to sit on the balcony wall, swinging one leg over so it's dangling. He pulls her closer wordlessly, seating her between his legs. Her eyes move over the deserted road, with a few scattered street lights. The forest is bathed in moonlight, everything so silent. The wind whispers softy and caresses their skin, not too warm, nor too chilly.

His chin drops onto her shoulder, and when he presses his cheek to hers, she can't stop from tightening her hands on his arms that are around her waist, fingers laced together on her stomach. It's the feeling that she's experienced before with Edward, but it's still completely foreign.

Edward had always been safe for her; he'd been protective, even when he was a human. Damon's protective in the same manner, but in a more subtle way. He doesn't try to deduce what would be the right thing; he lets her make her own decisions, and it pierces her even more to know she took advantage of that.

"Something on your mind?" he asks in a whisper.

She pushes away from him, maneuvering herself on the small wall to face Damon, her eyes seeking the tenderness in his as a mean of courage.

"More like a confession." His confusion is warranted. Bella bites her lip, unsure of how to continue on without sounding like she had been manipulating him as she did to Angela previously. He's witnessed her ruthlessly word her sentences in a way that would ensure she was not the party to blame should something go wrong. Manipulation is something that she doesn't even want him to associate with her. "Elijah called me. I went to see him."

His response is quiet, his expression unchanging. "I know."

Her eyes snap up to meet his. "What?" she breathes out.

"He came by earlier. He told me to let you know he completed his side of the deal, and that you ought to keep yours now."

The love, the tenderness in his eyes isn't false. He shouldn't be looking at her like that; she doesn't deserve it, so she averts her eyes. He grips her chin to raise her eyes to meet his, prompting her wordlessly to tell her side.

She does, without halting once. There isn't a moment more beautiful or lighter than when she lays her forehead against him, forgetting momentarily of the war brewing and gathering the strength she will need once the witches get their wish fulfilled…once Damon forgets her. There are just a few days left for her to enjoy with the one person that brought a part of her she believed was long dead. Just a few days, if Elena's fainting is any indication…

.

.

.

.

"How did you shake off Damon this time?" Bonnie's first question cuts through the dark.

Bella pushes away from the tree she is leaning on, moving a few paces closer to the witch while admiring her bravery for showing up to a place of utter dread. "I didn't have to. He trusts me enough."

Bonnie snorts. "That's new."

"You just have to prove yourself to him, and not backstab him the next day." Bella doesn't take Bonnie's comment in good humor this time.

The witch pulls her cardigan tighter around her, shifting her eyes. That only causes her to release a breath as the dark view of the cemetery is anything but pleasant at midnight.

"Moonstone?"

Bella stares at her for a beat, gauging her expression. She pulls out the moonstone from her jeans pocket, handing the white oval to Bonnie, not needing another word to be spoken.

As far as Bella is concerned, her deal to Elijah is now complete; there is no burden from his side anymore. For Bonnie, it's an extended hand. She doesn't realize that the hybrid may have a different agenda altogether, but believes this to be a manner of trust and favor done upon her.

"Can I…," she hesitates, wondering if it would be the right thing, "Can I—Can we try now?"

"Now? Here?" Bella's eyebrows shoot up, wondering if Bonnie doesn't want to wait, or she just doesn't want their paths to cross again.

"Well, we're here, so might as well." The shrug would've been nonchalant, but the slightly frightful expression on her face dissuades the offhanded manner.

Bella moves forth, standing close enough to reach out for Bonnie's trembling hand and grasps it, giving her silent permission.

There's a slight pressure as Bonnie wraps her fingers around Bella's warm one. Her skin temperature is shocking considering the chilly night breeze, but Bonnie shakes it off.

There aren't any candles present, and the atmosphere is less than comfortable, but Bonnie doesn't let the hope fade away. The murmurings of her chants start; against her better judgment, she lets her eyes slide shut to concentrate. She can hear just the soft chimes of the wind and her heart beating too fast. The fact that Bella's hand in hers gives her a little consolation that she isn't alone; it's an odd feeling as she feels nearly…_safe,_ in the presence of someone who she stills doubts.

_Bonnie…_

Her eyeballs move side to side behind her eyelids, and she feels as if she's in a different place entirely rather than with Bella standing in the middle of a graveyard chanting. There are cold as ice fingertips brushing against the length of her arms, against her neck and against her spine. They're cold and pushing and pulling and it's the first time Bonnie feels the power of both worlds—alive and dead. The panic bubbles inside her chest, making breathing difficult, and Bonnie's throat starts closing up. She parts her lips to let out a scream, but she can't; she has no control over her own body.

_Bonnie._

Just as she feels faint and near unconscious, every tightening bind alleviates, and there's only warmth left to course through her body. She's still left with one foot in the alive world and another in the dead, but it's familiar. It's a similar experience to the one she'd had when Emily had invaded her torso, only this time, it's as if she's looking on rather than having an entity borrow her flesh.

_Bonnie!_ The harshly yelled whisper in her ear startles her to the point where she grips the hand in her grip so tightly, she can feel it tremble.

It's dark, completely black, except for a small floating light. The ball of white is growing brighter and brighter, but Bonnie can't look away, nor close her eyes. The light stretches and widens until it's consuming her whole, wrapping around like a blanket.

_Bonnie…_

The female voice rings through her mind. Unable to voice anything, she lets her thoughts speak. "Emily?"

_Bonnie. I require your help._

"With what?"

_Isabella._

"Me? I—I can't."

_Only you can. _The voice is eerily calm and quiet, leaving a chilly shiver to train down Bonnie's spine.

"How?"

_You must set the course of nature right, Bonnie. _The words are carried out slowly, as if it hurts Emily to say each letter.

"How do I do that?"

_You must set the course of nature right, Bonnie, _it repeats.

"How?" The desperation in Bonnie's voice is clear through her thoughts. This is what she's been taught to do by her grandmother. She's been taught to think of others before her own safety. This is her destiny, her duty to help keep the balance; that's the reason for her powers.

_Damon cannot be in love with Isabella. That isn't what fate has planned… Destroy the moonstone…You must destroy it._

The voice fades away, leaving the lingering warmth to disperse along with it, and all that is left with Bonnie is the icy feeling of realizing her task. The cryptic messages make sense in her mind for some reason, in a way that leaves her disorientated.

Bella's eyes are narrowed, her teeth clenched tightly. She should have realized Emily would be keeping a watch on _everything_. But she'd realized too late that the deceased witch would actually pull a move like this. This is the last thing Bella needs. It could work in two ways: one, Bonnie could freak out and refuse to help altogether; two, Bonnie would think this as a sacrifice in Bella's part and agree to work with her willingly.

Bella can feel the witch's heart beat through her fingers, and she fails to get Bonnie out of her stupor. She can't tighten her hands to shake her anymore in fear of breaking Bonnie's fingers, so she waits as her anger increases and pulses through her torso. This wasn't supposed to happen. If Bonnie figures out the secret of the moonstone, the plan could go awry. That could break the promise she'd made to Damon of her safety.

Bonnie's eyes snap open abruptly, her breathing harsh. Her wide brown eyes search Bella's face for mere seconds before she starts walking backwards.

Bella can feel spells being thrown at her, perhaps unconsciously from Bonnie, as little pricks, needle like pokes pinch her skin throughout her entire front. There's an invisible wall in front of her, a pressure so great she has to take a few feet back to prevent falling back. She can do nothing more than watch Bonnie run away, holding her life within her hand.

.

.

.

.

_Slow, steady beats. You're not nervous, yet you're holding onto me as if your life depends on it. Your grip is strong, yet your fingers are trembling lightly as they grip my hair at the back of my neck. _

_There's anger present in me at the realization of your actions. Maybe it is my fault for being protective over you, but the only thought in my mind is that you lied to me. _

_You lied. Yet you didn't. You just didn't tell me._

_How could you? I especially cannot understand this, since I am well aware of your irritation towards Katherine for doing the same. I let you relax against me as my lips find that soft spot behind your ear. _

_I know I have to let you go soon so you can go meet Bonnie, but it seems like you're only going further and further from me. It seems as if we'd just shared the most intimate moments so recently, so briefly, yet each night, you're so far away even when our flesh is touching. _

_My mind is made up. The fact that you have started hiding things from me makes my resolve even stronger; I'll be there when you go to see Bonnie. You'll feel me, I'm sure, but that won't stop me. _

_There seems to be time left until the next full moon, yet it feels as if you're already leaving me. _

_I've found a way, sweetheart, and I'm not letting you go without a fight._

* * *

><p><strong>So, just a month's wait! Not bad, considering I took 3 last time, right? <strong>**  
><strong>

_I am now on Twitter as "M. M. Kaur." I'm also on Facebook, and I host a group 'Bambi's Beloveds' where I love posting teasers and pictures of Damon and Dean! Come join in the fun! :)_ **  
><strong>

**As always, reviewers get a lengthy preview of the next chapter (I'll send them out by this Friday). Leave me some love? It helps me write faster.  
><strong>


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my betas, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.****  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Am I going insane?<br>My blood is boiling inside of my veins  
>An evil feeling attacks<br>My body's shaking, there's no turning back  
>Don't take your eyes off the trigger<br>I'm not to blame if your world turns to black  
>As your eyes start to blister<br>There's just no hope for our final embrace

So here we are...  
>I'm in your head...<br>I'm in your heart!

You were told to run away  
>Soak the place, and light the flame<br>Pay the price for your betrayal  
>Your betrayal, your betrayal!<p>

I was told to stay away  
>Those two words I can't obey<br>Pay the price for your betrayal  
>Your betrayal, your betrayal!<p>

Is it my turn to die?  
>My heart is pounding as I say goodbye<br>So now I dance in the flames  
>I love you crying and screaming my name<p>

You said that we'd be forever  
>How could you kill me and lie to my face?<br>Now that we can't be together  
>There's just no hope for our final embrace<br>So here we are, I'm in your head  
>I'm in your heart!<p>

-Bullet for my Valentine

.

.

"Hi, Pops," Damon greets teasingly.

"Son," Charlie responds, playing along. The time they'd spend together resulted in many, many discussions of different topics. Damon had started calling him 'Pops' after Bella's father had jokingly mentioned marriage. The topic wasn't serious and neither was Charlie; his wise eyes had judged Damon's intentions and his feelings for Bella without intending to push the two of them forward to something they both weren't ready for. Maybe he wasn't ready to acknowledge it, but this was hardly the time to.

Damon steps beside Charlie, his hand clasping his hand on the father figure's shoulder. "Find anything?"

"See, normal humans have proteins, glycoproteins, and glycolipids on the surface that allow the blood type to be defined through the surface of the blood cells. The blood cells coursing through a vampire's body have a special type of lipid layer that coats the red blood cells, which causes the glycoprotein to trigger the Thyroid-stimulating hormone, which in turn causes the fangs to appear and for vampires to salivate at the sight of blood, as that's the foremost food," Charlie states in one breath.

Damon's look resembles that of a confused child but before he can say anything, Charlie continues, "When vampire blood enters the system, the normal human cells get coated with special agents that multiply at the same rate as cancer cells. _If_ the human does not die, the heart pumps pure blood to rid of the vampire blood cells. _But, _if the human does die, the heart can no longer do that and the vampire blood takes over the body, causing the transformation. A different blood group, or even the same group really, it's more of the blood that comes from another being…where was I? Oh yeah, indigestion-it causes the mutated cells to attack and grow, and thus vampires are born."

Damon blinks, his mind registering Charlie's words and understanding them, yet not knowing what to do with the information. They'd been looking for a scientific way to separate Elena and Bella, and so far it's been a fail. However, the excitement on Charlie's face today makes Damon's heart skip a beat.

"Charlie, did you find anything useful?"

Charlie's chest swells for a second before he relaxes, disappointment left to shine on his face.

"No, actually. But," he exclaims, "I'm getting there."

"How so?"

"See, the connection has a scientific explanation and a magical one. Magical one is a little complicated; the spell was completely black, while a child—a fetus, embryo, whatever term you want to use—is pure. Light against dark. If you mix together, at exact ratios, black and white, you'll notice that the color that comes out is light; it always has an upper hand. Scientific explanation is simple; when the child was saved from the dark magic, it embedded itself into Bella's womb—it got its nutrients from her."

Damon's eyes light up as the dots connect. "So there must be a magical _and_ scientific way!"

"Yup, yup!" Charlie nods his head. "It doesn't depend just on Bonnie."

"But there's the whole process of finding out the way without magic."

"And I'll try my best."

.

.

.

.

Tyler's fists pound on the white door angrily, his jaw clenched tightly together to refrain from growling.

"I'm coming! Hang on!" Caroline yells from the other side, huffing as she opens the door. Her brows pull together in confusion. "Tyler? What's wrong?"

"You told me there weren't any other werewolves in town, that you would've smelled them," he snarls. The frustration gets the best of him as Caroline's door side panel breaks off in his hand, leaving splinters to dig into his palm painfully.

"Tyler!" Caroline gasps, moving towards him to take a look at his hand. Before she's able to do anything, and before Tyler can do anything, he's pushed aside as Jason inserts a syringe with five needles in front of it into Caroline's arm, pulling her arm forth so that she falls right into his arms.

He hauls her up easily, brushing past a shocked Tyler to his car. He puts her in the backseat, motioning for Tyler to get in.

Tyler does so wordlessly, his eyes wide with shock. As soon as Jason pulls away from the curb, Tyler turns to him, his body shaking as anger makes its way known. "What the hell was that?"

"What?" Jason asks innocently. He follows a small clearing between the trees in the forest, pulling fast away from the Boarding house, the Lockwood underground cellar, and the Town centre of Mystic Falls. The deeper they get into the forest, the darker it becomes as the trees get thicker, blocking out the lights entirely, until they get to a circular clearing where there's a wide span of area covered in just dust, the light bright now.

Jason pulls out the unconscious Caroline, entrapping her within a metal cage before taking out a container from the car's trunk. He dips a large metal lock in the clear liquid from the container, effectively leaving Caroline with no way out.

He stands, admiring his work before turning to Tyler with a smirk. "Come on, Tyler. Are you really going to choose your natural enemy over a friend?"

"We're not friends," Tyler growls.

"But Caroline and you are?" Jason prompts. "She didn't even tell you there were other vampires in town!"

Tyler's head snaps around to look at the drugged vampire, his mouth open in disbelief. He turns back to his teacher. "You're lying."

"No, and I have the proof, too." At Tyler's prompting glare, Jason turns to his car, bringing out a baby doll. He takes the small onesie off, ripping the hard plastic back easily with his fingers, revealing a small electronic recorder.

A confused expression makes its way to Tyler's face. "Didn't that record just when someone was near?" _Wouldn't vampires be smarter?_

Jason presses a button, letting the recording vouch for him.

_"Bella used compulsion on him."_ Damon's voice is clear, strained.

_"Why?"_ It's Elena's voice that makes Tyler grab the doll violently and leave it in pieces on the forest floor.

The broken recorder keeps rolling as Damon's voice fills the clearing. "_To prove that he didn't have blackouts, that he was under compulsion."_

Jason kicks it quiet, a smirk gracing his lips. His honey blonde hair looks darker today, his usually soft eyes harder. He doesn't look like someone Tyler's met before, someone Tyler saw every week in school. There's something different about him. He's present but his eyes are distant, as if his mind is on something else entirely.

"You can't trust them, Tyler, you just can't. They'll always lie to you," Jason murmurs, stepping closer enough to touch Tyler, yet not doing so. He circles around, as if a predator stalking its prey…and maybe he's doing just that. "I wouldn't lie to you. You ought to trust me. We're _brothers, _Tyler; we share a bond that's unbreakable. You led me right to Caroline, brother." His voice is lowering, going eerily quiet. It raises the hairs on the back of Tyler's neck, his irritation no longer his main concern.

"I didn't…" he starts, confused, "You knew about Caroline…. You were telling me about my enemy."

"Oh Tyler, I never put a name; you did that for me."

Guilt strikes the young werewolf. His anger had gotten the best of him, and now the only person who had listened, who had helped him, is in trouble because of him.

"Unless you want the pretty blonde to die, do as I say."

No hesitation.

.

.

.

.

The Salvatore living room has become more of a comfortable place than that of the privacy of a bedroom. Every little conversation, every movie night, and every dinner has taken place in this place. It brings a little more than meaning into all their lives. For Stefan and Damon, it brings a sense of home…a sense of family within their dynamics. It has changed the way both brothers act, as well. No longer are sarcastic comments taken as insults.

For Elena, it brings a blanket of security; while the protectiveness from those present around her hasn't increased, the sense of belonging has made its place in her heart. There was a point in her life after her parents' death where she didn't know what home was, or where she belonged. With Stefan, all she knows is that she's happy. And that's perfectly fine for the time.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Damon questions in disbelief. He's happy that Elena isn't arguing over a course of action, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't.

"It's for my safety, right? Bella wouldn't do anything without thinking it through," Elena states clearly, pulling her straight brown hair into a messy bun like Bella's. The heat of the summer is starting, while the night time brings sudden chill. "And we need Bonnie to trust Bella. If lying to her about Emily will strengthen her resolve…I can't really go against it."

All three occupants in the room stare at her, wondering if the statement is meant to be sarcastic or if Elena really is just being compliant today.

Stefan's eyes meet Bella's in silent questioning, cautious, yet trusting at the same time. There's also something else in his eyes—a quiet request.

Elena's lost in thought, fiddling with her necklace, while Damon is happily drinking out of his blood bag, looking very much like a little kid with a juice box. Bella excuses herself and inclines with her head for Stefan to walk outside with her.

Bella's leggings are tight against her skin as the outside humidity hits both of them. She closes her eyes as the sun hits her skin, letting her skin soak it up. There's orange, yellow, and red hue behind her eyelids, and she can't remember the last time she'd trusted someone enough to close her eyes and be vulnerable.

Stefan's hand is hesitant as he touches her arm gently, breaking her out of her stupor.

"What's up?" she asks, trying to keep her tone light.

"So…" he stalls, "Working with Elijah?"

"I figured it couldn't be worse than Klaus, right?"

"How can you trust him, though?"

Bella takes small steps forward, letting the slight wind whisper through her hair as Stefan keeps his step besides her.

"He saved my life once, by going against his own family, which also went against his morals. He knows Klaus the way nobody else does, regardless of what he says." A smile makes its way to her face when she remembers Elijah's words of her knowing Klaus the best—they weren't untrue, but it hadn't been the entire truth. "If we work with him, he will keep us in the plan. No surprises."

"Will you be able to handle seeing Klaus again?" His tone is soft, caring, and genuinely concerned.

Bella laughs through her nose. "I've had centuries to come to terms with it."

"That's not what I asked."

She shrugs. "I won't know until I see him. I have anger towards him, but there's also sympathy because I can't just see what he's done to me and my sister. I see what he went through with his own family. The Original family is tied not only through blood, but through their lies and betrayal within their own kin."

"So you're completely unprepared."

"No," she quips in a playful tone. "I have a bodyguard and a great group of friends."

He turns to her, smiling in a way that he hasn't ever since the complications with the Originals and their obsession with ruining each other began. He'd come to appreciate the new addition to his family, and not just because she kept Damon in line.

.

.

.

.

"_This_ is your plan, Stefan?" Damon hisses out, his eyes tight in anger.

"Look, we're both desperate, and this is something," Stefan replies in a stiff voice.

"I thought you'd put yourself trust in Bella."

"I thought you did too." Stefan's reply freezes Damon in his spot, his expression one of guilt before he pulls a mask over.

"I do. I just like having a plan B, C, etcetera, etcetera."

"For Bella."

"For them both," Damon snarls, his lips curling back in distaste. That fact that Stefan even thought he'd want to be selfish at this point is revolting.

"Down, boys," a new, patronizing voice cuts in.

Both brothers whip their heads around to find John smirking at them. Neither of them is pleased to see Elena's biological father as he always brings trouble along, but at this point, having another opinion and another option would be helpful _and _wise. They both straighten up, sitting with stiff backs and grimaces on their faces.

"Hello, boys."

"John," Stefan responds, while Damon gives him a lopsided smirk, eyes narrowed in clear display of loathing.

"Damon. Always a pleasure."

"Less yapping, more spilling."

"Happily." He sits down opposite of them, looking at the specials on the small cardboard menu on the table, leaving the brothers to stew as their patience wore thin. He finally looks up at them, pursing his lips, and leans forward on the table, lacing his hands together.

"I still remember your threat from last time, Stefan. What's to say that if I give you a way to kill Elijah that you won't kill me?"

"You'll have my word."

"Your word means nothing to me."

Damon sighs in frustration as the vein in Stefan's forehead throbs in anger.

"What do you want?" Stefan asks through clenched teeth.

John doesn't hesitate. "Bella."

"No!" Damon and Stefan both snap.

"Then I won't give you the dagger or the white oak tree ash that you're desperately in need of."

"Why do you want Bella?"

"Oh come on, boys. I just want to sit down and have a chat with her." John shrugs.

"I don't believe you for some reason. I wonder why."

"Damon, I'm shocked. Wasn't it you who, just last year, would've give up anybody for Elena? What happened?"

"Say we agree to your condition. When do we get the dagger and the ash?"

"Today. Right now."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that. I'll let you two talk. I need to get something to drink."

John's entirely too aware of the impact his words have left on the Salvatore siblings, because they're waiting with anxious breath to let the other know their opinion on this small discovery. He drums his fingers on the bar, pleased at getting under Damon and Stefan's skin. If he's being honest with himself, he wasn't even interested in Bella until just yesterday when Isobel had told him the hybrid's truth. Even if he didn't show it, Elena would always come first. That had been one of the reasons Isobel and he had decided to leave their baby within his own kin—they were aware of vampires and were trained to fight against it. Elena wouldn't have been safer anywhere else.

He's brought out of his stupor as his soft drink is placed in front of him. He downs it, leaving the empty glass on the bar, and heads back to the table, his eyes scanning Stefan's and Damon's faces for any indication to whether or not they'll agree.

He slips back into his seat, keeping his eyes on Damon. He's too relaxed, entirely too relaxed than he ought to be, and that bothers John. He'd have to be careful on the words he'd say, because it's just like Damon to manipulate them to his will.

"So? Have you decided yet?"

The brothers exchange a glance before Stefan opens his mouth to answer. A phones ringing halts him, though. He pulls out his cell from his pocket, his brows furrowing as he sees the name.

"Caroline," he answers.

"No, but if you want her alive, bring the hybrid and the doppelganger."

.

.

.

.

_"It's _Caroline," _Stefan emphasizes as if I'd care. I don't. John has something I need, and there is no way that I'll exchange you to get it. I have other methods. _

_"I don't care. You're Saint Stefan; go save the damsel in distress." _

_"Damon, you don't understand." _

_"Oh, I understand. Tyler found out and wants revenge? Yay. I'll get to him after I'm done here." _

_"What more do you need from him? He's not giving us anything if we don't give him Bella, and we're not doing that." How can he even think I'd bargain you?_

_"That was your way, Stefan. I'm going to try mine." I try to head towards John, but Stefan grabs my elbow, roughly turning me to face him. "What?" I growl at him, irritated. _

_"Don't…" _

_"Shouldn't you be saving Blondie?" I yank my arm again, leaving him to huff. My eyes are trained on John as I follow him out the door. I watch as he nods to a few people around The Grill and heads outside. I follow him, my head low. He turns towards the woods to the left side of the exit, away from the parking lot. Odd. _

_As soon as both of us get out of sight from humans and from the road, I push him against the tree trunk, pressing the crook of one of my elbows into his shoulder bone to keep his arm by his side, and my other hand searches inside his pocket. He's grunting and struggling, but otherwise his movements are compliant; it puts me on edge._

_I find the dagger and the bottle of ash wrapped inside a silk handkerchief. Within seconds, John's tossed on the ground and I'm blurring away to find a cover. I stay long enough to see him get up, brush his coat jacket, and smirk. _

_Something's wrong. _

* * *

><p><strong>3 weeks! Let's go for 2 next time. :) <strong>**  
><strong>

_As always, reviewers get a lengthy preview of the next chapter (I'll send them out by Wednesday). Leave me some love? It helps me write faster._

**I'm on both Twitter and Facebook to answer any questions, chat, and fangirl. :) ****  
><strong>


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my betas, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake _**for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter. All/any mistakes are mine.****  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Crawling in my skin<br>These wounds they will not heal  
>Fear is how I fall<br>Confusing what is real

There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface  
>Consuming, confusing<br>This lack of self-control I fear is never ending  
>Controlling, I can't seem…<p>

To find myself again  
>My walls are closing in<br>without a sense of confidence  
>and I'm convinced<br>that there's just too much pressure to take  
>I've felt this way before<br>So insecure

Discomfort, endlessly has pulled itself upon me  
>Distractingreacting  
>Against my will I stand beside my own reflection<br>It's haunting how I can't seem...

-Linkin Park

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Tyler's hands shake with anger as he paces around Caroline's cage. He's torn between wanting to help her, and wanting to shake her and ask for an explanation. He's desperate for answers from her but the hopelessly in his chest at failing to locate his uncle has manifested into loathing and absolute anger towards the vampire…and her band of vampire friends. She'd known about the most vulnerable secret in his life, and didn't have the humanity in herself or enough empathy to let him know the truth. She'd known about his bouts of insomnia in torment for his missing uncle, and she didn't tell him. How _could_ she do this to him?

"I'm thinking of keeping their heads as trophies," one of Jason's buddies jokes.

Caroline whimpers pathetically in her cage. The pain from the vervain has settled into a dull throbbing in her burned flesh, but the emotional toll is much more pressing on her. The guilt is starting to ebb away as she remembers how Tyler did nothing as Jason tortured her with small, vervain-drenched toothpicks, and the sense of betrayal is settling in.

"Tyler," she begs. "Please."

His tightly wound fist slams against the tree branch as he growls, his breathing heavy.

Someone groans, and he turns back, only to be slammed harshly into the tree behind him. There's a brief moment of panic and fear before Jason pulls Stefan back from one side and another friend of his takes control of the other. Tyler's eyes are wide as he watches Stefan take blow after blow against his skin, flesh tearing apart as blood seeps through his shirt. He can hear Stefan grunting, trying to escape the grasp while Caroline pleads from her prison.

The entire scene feels as if it's going by in a fast pace while Tyler's mind is still trying to process Stefan being here to save the blonde vampire.

Jason grips Stefan's hair, pulling his head back. "Where's the moonstone?"

Stefan doesn't relent, his lips pursed tightly together.

Jason's knee comes up against Stefan's stomach. "Where is it?"

"A manipulative, conniving dictator. What's better?" a sarcastic voice rings throughout the clearing. It's the same voice that makes Tyler's blood boil all over again.

His hands are wrapped around Damon's throat before he can deduce that he's even moved from his spot. He doesn't do any damage, but the anger pulsates from his torso, moving from the pit of his stomach to the tips of his fingers. They dig into the vampire's skin, not doing damage, but eliminating the frustration in Tyler.

"Tell me, Tyler." Damon's sardonic voice doesn't help. "What lies has he fed you?"

"Did you kill my uncle?"

"I asked first."

Tyler's fingers dig further into Damon's throat, his voice deadly low.

The latter rolls his eyes, and with a flick of his hand, Tyler is on the ground.

"I did. But do you know why?"

"I don't need a reason!"

"Yes, you do," Damon stresses. "That guy right there-he's the reason. Did he tell you that?"

Tyler's attention returns to Jason-who is standing silently, stiffly-while his buddies have Stefan. They've stopped their beating, but they're still grinning, as they've outnumbered the vampires. He doesn't know what to believe: Damon, the impulsive killer? Stefan, the saint who still would do anything for his brother? Caroline…sweet Caroline, who helped him at his time of need? Jason, a werewolf that understands his predicament? He doesn't know.

"How is he involved?" Even to his own ear, Tyler's voice is broken.

"He set up your uncle to die. He told Sheriff Forbes about us being vampires, and set it to look as if Mason did." The smirk returns. "Vampires live for revenge."

Tyler growls, unwilling to believe. Mason had only been trying to help him; he couldn't do that. He wouldn't. The entire day has been a tug war for Tyler; should he believe Caroline, or should be believe Jason? The former had been helping him since she found out, and every time he looks at her, he feels as if he can trust her with anything. Obviously not. Yet Jason…he'd only known Jason for a short period of time, and only in school. He'd told him his most valuable secret; that has to count for something.

"Don't listen to him, Tyler," Jason commands.

Damon rolls his eyes, sighing in irritation. There are better things to do-he'd only followed Stefan because he didn't want Bella to find out just yet; it would be better if he is the one to tell her. It would be a step backwards in their relationship to hash the past, to bring up Mason's death all over again. He knew she wouldn't be so forgiving the second time around, especially when she finds out that she was right—it wasn't Mason's fault.

There's guilt bubbling in Damon, but he pushes the feeling away; there'll be time for self-loathing after the extra threats are eliminated.

"You vampires are really self-centered, aren't you?" Jason sneers. "Walking in here without any weapons, while you're outnumbered."

"And that's your biggest mistake—assuming." Damon flicks three wolfsbane darts, aiming one at the head, another at the heart, and the third in his leg.

Jason manages to avoid all, but the two of his friends that are holding Stefan fall to the ground, groaning as the poison seeps into their bloodstreams. Jason's eyes snap to Alaric, who dives behind a tree with his odd gun to avoid Jason's rebuttal hit.

Damon blurs in front of Jason, grabbing his neck and bending him so that the vampire's knee is lodged into the teacher's throat. Two pairs of harsh hands grab him again and Stefan, who was trying to free Caroline.

Tyler helps Jason up, his mind made up on which group he'll be trusting.

"Again," he states, panting, "You're outnumbered."

"Covered," a feminine whisper sounds in Jason's ear just before he's pressed back into the ground, black dots appearing in front of his sight, and he loses consciousness.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Elena pushes her fingers into her temples as hard as she can to drown out the piercing migraine. Stefan's gentle hands pull them away, squeezing her hands in his. Charlie watches with concern, an Advil pill in his hand; Elena had decided she wasn't going to take any drugs.

Her headaches are getting worse as the week goes on, and even the medication no longer helps. She'd waken from her sleep countless times to Stefan telling her she'd been awake, and not even sleepwalking. There is a side of her that wanted to tell Stefan, or Bella, or even Damon, but a larger part of her couldn't. Every time she tries to, she mumbles something entirely different. It's starting to disturb her, but at the same time, she's a bit glad that the rest won't have another complication to worry about.

"I don't know why it won't go away," she mumbles feebly.

"It's the stress of things," Stefan coos, trying to make her feel better.

"Yeah, the stress." She's not convinced. She tries to use segue instead, "So what made you choose bringing my uncle slash biological dad into this?"

"I thought he could help."

"Why him?"

"Because he's a hunter. Their passion in killing vampires, ridding the "abomination," in their words, makes them more powerful in knowledge than vampires themselves."

"So you're saying…when humans turn into vampires, they get so caught up in their new lives that they don't want to know about their history, their pasts?"

"Well, some find different interests eventually," Stefan replies, his eyes inclining towards Charlie kindly, "But others are distracted by the blood, the pleasure, and the lack of emotions that they have the ability to do. I expect John to somewhat helpful, if not he, then at least through his contact with Isobel."

The Salvatore house living room is silent, as Elena processes Stefan's words. Is she ready to have Isobel back in her life? More distressing is the secret agenda they might—a strong might—have.

His hand lands on hers, gripping it lightly. "Hey. Do you want to get away from all of this? I'm sure we can go for a day or two."

"That's a great idea!" Charlie's enthusiasm would've made anyone suspicious, but the two other occupants know he's only wanting the best for them.

It's hard to not like Charlie—it's almost as if Bella really is his daughter, because they're so alike. Just as she knew she could trust Bella, Elena knows Charlie's good. Not only had she witnessed the immense love he had for his pseudo daughter, he was doing his best to help Elena, equal in comfort and in safety. The scientist in him likes to ramble off random facts during the day, whereas the grown man likes to be reminded of little joys of life, like chocolate and cute childish nature.

"No, I want to stay here," Elena murmurs. There's no running away from this. A lot can happen in a day—as Mr. Lefebvre had proven today.

She can only hope that she's right in staying.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_"How often do you usually feed?" It's interesting how I think I know everything about you, yet the simplest things in my mind are unanswered. It's not about knowing the smallest things; it's about knowing _you_. And I'm also worried at the barrier you've put up on your emotions ever since the afternoon. I don't know how to break you out of it._

_"Every three weeks, or five if I want to push my limits." _

_My voice is soft. "It's been longer now, hasn't it?" My thumbs trace the blue-ish color that's slowly spreading under your eyes. Those are the only things that warn me that you need to feed; you don't tell me otherwise. My hands are spanned across your face; my palms against your cheeks, fingers over your ears. _

_I wordlessly lay my wrist against your lips, willing you to drink. You're not looking like my Bambi anymore; there's a weakness to you that my Bambi doesn't show. I know that the last few days have taken a toll on you, especially Elijah's arrival. There's always this emotional war going on in your mind that I can see in your eyes, and I hate being one of the reasons for the added tension. _

_You tilt your face a little, letting your lips brush against my thin skin, laying a sweet kiss. Your eyes are darker, heavily lidded as hunger for something besides my blood flashes. You move closer, swinging a leg over my hip to straddle me, letting your expressions and your eyes do the talking. As if I even need that. I know you, no words and all. _

_Every inch of our skin is touching, clothed or not. Your knees pull up beside my waist, letting your feet lock behind my back. Your lips are a hair's width apart from mine. My hands are brushing against your stomach, where your shirt has ridden up. I lean my face closer to kiss you, but you pull back. You're looking very much like a vixen, a teasing smile on your red lips. It warms me to see you willing to put the worries at bay when you're with me. It's the only time that I can put all the conflicts at the back of my mind. _

_I pull your lips to mine, the buzzing between us increasing. There are small shocks passing, whether from my fingertips to your skin or the other way around, I don't know; the sensation is endless. The kiss is soft, sweet, as if trying to prove a point, as if we're trying to get away from reality into our own little world. Your hands move from my shoulders to my hands that are on your cheeks. Your fingers interlace with mine, pulling our joined hands between us._

_I lightly bite down at your bottom lip, before you break the kiss, letting your lips trail softly towards my neck. I can feel your fangs nipping at my skin, causing a shudder to run down my spine and a groan to make its way up my throat. I barely feel the pain as your fangs dig into my skin, but my body jolts. You press your chest further into me, quivering, prompting me to lie back on the bed. I can feel your lips caressing my skin, little whimpers and moans escaping. Your grinding hips are making it hard to focus on anything else, as if I'd want to, as is the venom that's coursing from your fangs into my bloodstream, leaving behind a simmer to blaze through me. The heat starts at the pit of my stomach, working its way down, and my heart swells. It doesn't take long for our clothes to end up in a pile on the floor. _

_._

_._

* * *

><p><em>.<em>

_._

_Regardless of the season, mornings are always cold. More so now that I've spent the night wrapped around you. You whine a little as I part, but I kiss your shoulder to placate you. I slip out of bed, but you grab my wrist, opening your questioning eyes at me. The black sheets have slipped down your torso, but you're lying on your stomach; all I see is your back, but even that makes me want to crawl back next to you. The color is such a contrast against your enticing pale skin. _

_But I have to do this. There isn't a way around this; I've exhausted every other route. _

_The water from the shower sounds a lot louder than it should; I can hear crickets chirping outside, Stefan's and your faint heartbeat and breathing. My own heart is beating at the same rate._

_I take extra care in hiding the dagger and the glass vial of white ash. Letting him have the only weapon against him—or his brother—would be worse than becoming his slave. At the moment, I have to ensure both Elena's and your safety. _

_I glance one last time at you, watching your soft expression of contentment. There are no vexation lines, and a small smile is playing at your lips. You strengthen my resolve. _

_The air is damp, and the light is barely grazing against the darkness. I can feel the air going through my jeans and my shirt, helping to cool down my warm skin. Running usually helps me clear my head, but today, all I want is for this to be over with. I'd been looking for something more interesting than leaving a blood trail in my path, but I'm not sure if this is it. Just because my vampire life hasn't offered me as much excitement to sustain me, playing with the lives of those that I hold dear isn't an inviting idea. _

_It's not hard to find Elijah. He's at the first place I'd suspected—the same abandoned warehouse Rose and Trevor had taken Elena to. I had doubts he'd be here, but he wants to be found by anyone looking for him at the moment, especially if that someone is closely regarded to you._

_He's sitting on the white sheet covered sofa, in that same thick coat as the last time I'd seen him. I've never understood how someone can stay in a tux; all those layers of cloth suffocate slowly. _

_"I knew you'd come." _

_I say nothing, bidding my time. He knows why I'm here, but I won't say it. _

_He inclines his head towards the seat across him, prepared to be business like. _

_I sit, letting a smirk spread across my lips. He knows this isn't just for my benefit. _

_"I presume you're here to talk about Isa." _

_"Actually," I draw out, leaning forward a bit to put my elbows on my knees. "I'm here to talk about you." _

_"What of me?" _

_"What are your intentions with Isabella?" _

_Elijah cracks a grin, his posture relaxing. "Shouldn't I be the one asking the question? I am the one she treated as her father figure." The tension breaks. "Really, Damon. I doubt this is a social call." _

_"You're staying here for a reason, Elijah." My tone is just as condescending as Elijah's had been. "I'm here for answers; that's all." _

_"I can smell the oak ash, you know." _

_Another shrug. _

_"Are you here to bargain with me? Let you keep Isabella, and in turn I get the meager weapon you have against me?" _

_"Ah, but that's where you're wrong. You don't have any say in what _Bella _does, first of all; second, I don't want to bargain with you." _

_I'm willing my heart to stay calm. I can't show that I'm nervous, that I'm unsure of this plan if I want it to work. I bring out the dagger and the vial out, putting it down on the table in front of the Original. He's tensing, but remains unmoved otherwise. _

_"Why are you giving this to me?" _

_"To show that I'm believing in Bella's faith in you." Calling you 'Bella' sounds weird. This is the first time I've done it, and only because Elijah's using 'Isabella.' He knows the old you, _Isabella_—the one who wasn't strong, the one who was vulnerable from her trauma. I know the _Bella _you've become, the one who can fight for herself, the one who can make her own choices, and the one who can deal with her emotions in seconds just so that her mind can be alert to do the moral thing—the one she can live with. _

_"You want me to keep you in the loop." _

_"I want us to work together. Planning _and _carrying it out." _

_"What made you think I'd agree?"_

_"The same reason you've been cloaking Bella all this time." _

_Now he's startled. I shouldn't have known this, but he hadn't covered his footsteps as well as he'd thought. You mentioned it first—about Klaus not finding you, even with the power he has. There had to be a reason for it. With Elijah's hold over Luka and Jonas, he had the perfect resources. This had been just a test run, but his reaction proved it. _

_"Connected the dots, have you?" _

_"Would you like to tell me why?" _

_"Why are _you _trying to protect her?" _

_Because you're mine. _

_"I saved her. I gave her life when my brother had put both of her feet in the grave. She's the daughter that I can never have."  
><em>

* * *

><p><em><em>**I like to write between the lines. Bella's emotional hold back, Damon's increasing desperation, Elena's disorientation, and Elijah's actions/statements. Remember when I told you guys that everything Bella's mentioned or Elena's observed about her is important to the story? As we're moving towards the ending, we'll see how all that unfolds and then comes together at the climax.  
><strong>

_Reviews make my day. Leave me your thoughts. :) Reviewers get lengthy previews of the next chapter._**  
><strong>

**I'm on both Twitter and Facebook to answer any questions, chat, and fangirl. :)  
><strong>


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my betas, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake _**for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter; they make my work flow smoothly with their beta magic dust. :) All/any mistakes are mine.****  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><strong>NOTE: I am completely against Domestic Abuse, but keep in mind this was centuries earlier, when women were repressed and taught to be submissive.<strong>

.

.

Learning again that I am not my own  
>Crawling back to where I belong<br>Caught in between knowing You and trusting me  
>Come on take a ride out of the in between<br>Now I know I need You

When I can't see,  
>I will trust you<br>And when I get weak, I trust You  
>And when I just can't let it go<br>I trust that You are in control

Shelter me so I can find some peace  
>Grabbing hold of You is letting go of me<br>It's easy when I remember I possess all that lays beyond my grasp  
>Your power commands the weight off my back<br>Now I know I need You

Now I know I trust You

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Kids grow up thinking about fairy-tales. Little girls dream of becoming princesses, while small boys want to be the prince that will be courageous, brave, and save the most beautiful girl from a monster. That's what they long for when they're barely old enough to read. But growing up, Bella learned about survival of the fittest. If she wasn't strong enough, she wouldn't have been able to handle her father's harsh slaps from the back of his hand. If she wasn't beautiful enough, no one would want to marry her. If she wasn't obedient, she wouldn't be able to settle in her in-law's house.

She can remember her mother telling her about the pretty world, all the beautiful things nature had to offer, but she'd never witnessed them. She's seen them through her mother's eyes, the eyes of a young pregnant woman traveling across the long and wide sea to the new world that offered cure for her sickness.

There had been a time in her human life when Bella believed in fairy tales. She'd grown up with her mother telling her about how her father had found her injured by a waterfall, how they'd fallen in love. She listened to each tale in a trance, believing in each word. When she hit her teen years, she'd prayed for a man like her father before closing her eyes. She didn't know any better until she was old enough to be considered a woman, old enough to marry one of the local hunters.

His abuse on her mother transferred to her. Her face remained red for days, weeks at times when he'd hit her multiple times, multiple nights. His hand remained printed on her pale cheek for long periods of time. It was during those times that he'd insist she go out and gather some fruits from nearby. He didn't want her to stay inside; he wanted his neighbors, his friends to know what was going on, to know how he handled his kids and kept them in line. At times she would hear him boast to his mates about pleasure of the sting the slap would leave tingling in his hand.

She wished numerous times for her mother to complain to their Village Chief, but that would've have done any good. Domestic abuse was to be tolerated silently, as it was a house matter.

She didn't blame her father for his temperamental moments; she couldn't. He had werewolf blood in his veins; the anger wasn't him, but nature's punishment unto him. It's a poor excuse, but what else can she reassure herself with? How does one hate their own parent? He kept her well fed, well dressed while some kids, women, men had to sleep on the hard floor in nothing but a thin sheet, without even a morsel of food in their stomach. Just as she didn't blame her mother for not stopping the abuse, she couldn't blame her father as she'd done nothing to prevent it.

The werewolf side of her didn't just come from Esther's curse, but from her father's bloodline. It still surprises her that neither Elena nor Stefan figured it out; she'd told them everything, without being vague, and yet they didn't connect the dots. Damon had; he hadn't said anything, but she just _knew_.

Tatia never suffered at their father's hands. She had enough men after her, enough marriage proposals to not be considered a burden on her parents, but Bella…Bella had always been the quiet, suffer in silence type. She'd never talked unless absolutely necessary, and the other girls made up rumors about seeing her go down to the cave even during a regular night. Everyone suspected she'd been having an affair, when the only thing she'd been doing was finding comfort in the words and wisdom of one Elijah Michaelson.

He would press his warm hand against her cheek, and she wouldn't even as much as flinch. He would never hurt her; she hadn't been able to understand the trust she had in him. He would tell her about his home, about his siblings, and his plans for the future. She had started idolizing him in her mind; he was the big brother she'd always wanted protecting her from her father, yet he wasn't. There was a time in her life that she wanted to marry him, but only because of his protective nature. She wanted him to take her away from her father and show her the world. She wanted to be strong like him, strong enough to deal with her family and protect her mother.

But he never showed interest in her other than an older brother looking out for a younger sibling, and that was fine with Bella. She didn't mind. It was when he started increasingly appreciating Tatia and showering her with the attention only Bella had been privy to that she thought she'd lost her chance. She never went back to the cave after the night she'd seen the two of them holding hands, on a walk together in front of the village…it was practically a marriage proposal.

And then Klaus came between the two, and Elijah stepped back respectfully. He didn't question, he didn't fight; he never uttered a word, but moved back.

Bella's father couldn't have been happier. The lively family rumored to have riches from their homeland that none had seen before, and what more could he want for his favorite daughter?

That happiness ended fast, though. Tatia's stomach started showing, and as there wasn't a ring on her finger, her father became increasingly worse in his rage. He would threaten to kill the Michaelson boy until the day Tatia completely disappeared. It seemed as if the life was sucked out of him. He would sit endlessly in front of their house, begging for them to bring his daughter back. At least until Bella had been taken, too.

Bella had known what they were the first time Klaus fed on her, but her mind never made the connection until her father had burst into the house one day, and Klaus fed on him, right in front of her. She'd seen the shame in her father's eyes, guilt and sadness, too; that was when she realized that no matter how poorly he'd treated her, he still loved her. It had a terrible way of showing it, but he did love her.

The Salvatore's front door slams shut, and Bella awakens from her thoughts, sliding the hardcover book back into its place in the shelves. There's no need to relive the past; she's moved on long ago from it, more so now that Damon has stabilized her.

She walks slowly back to the living room, her ears hearing each whisper of her foot against the wood floor. She almost feels human.

Bonnie grunts loudly, dropping her books angrily onto the small table by the couches. Angela startles from her sleep on the sofa, the book falling off of her chest and onto the floor. She struggles to fix her crookedly perched glasses as she tries to make sense of her sights.

"Luka won't even talk to me," she complains.

Angela glares at her, stretching languidly. "In his defense, you did try to kill him."

Bonnie scowls at her.

"Lunch?" Bella asks, gathering attention. She's been thinking about her human time, and for some reason, that makes her want to cook, too. She'd always loved to. Men were hunters, while women were gatheres, and Bella…she wanted to be different. So she'd put together different fruits and make tarts as dessert, something that neither her mother nor Tatia could copy.

"Starved," Elena replies, smiling slightly.

Bella had been worried about her, and with Emily's warning at the front of her mind, she can guess what's coming next. With Esther's necklace around Elena, her blackouts, and Emily's dark words, it's easy to guess who would be the one bringing the sorrow back into her life.

Elena follows Bella to the kitchen, leaving the two witches to banter amongst themselves and scheme on how to get Luka to talk to Bonnie again.

"Where are Stefan and Damon?"

"Damon's with Elijah, and Stefan's with Caroline. Tyler left town."

"Why's Damon with Elijah?"

Bella doesn't miss the fact that Elena concentrates more on Damon now than she had ever before. She trusts Stefan, but the human hadn't even bothered to ask about her best friend and her state of mind. Caroline just lost the one person she thought she could trust-the person whom she started to have a crush on. Adding onto that is the trauma of being betrayed in the most devastating sense. If you can't trust your friends, who can you trust?

"They're working out a few kinks in their 'Kill-Klaus' plan."

"Damon trusts Elijah?"

"I believe so."

"Hm."

Silence.

For the first time since she can remember, the silence is uncomfortable between them. The unspoken words that remain quiet beg to be shouted, but Elena represses them. What could she say? There isn't anything she could say that would sound right, because even Elena realizes that Bella holds a special place for Elijah. Saying anything against him would only rise the hybrid, and that's not what they all need right now. Trust is important. Trust your friends, Elena chants.

But then why isn't she able to tell Bella about these blackening moments? Why can't she tell her how she's pictured herself walking towards a strange forest, crawling into the thick dirt only to find a tunnel? She wants to tell Bella, tell them all, but there's something stopping her. It's as if there's an invisible, or nonexistent, hand holding her throat, keeping words that need to be spoken in.

Elena shakes her head, as if to dispel the thoughts out of her head. She tries to concentrate on Bella instead. From what Stefan had told her, she'd lost control with Jason, but she didn't kill him. She'd left him with a broken leg and arm, which would heal fast-especially since it's getting close to the full moon. Once he'd change, he'd be back to causing them trouble.

Bella's been too quiet since that incident. It's hard to figure her out as it is, but when she isolates herself, it gets hard to tell what statement might set her off. Or perhaps Elena is the only one feeling as if she's walking on eggshells around her, as everyone else doesn't seem to be worried as much. What's causing her to worry so? What happened to trusting Bella?

She can remember herself talking to Bonnie about how sometimes the feeling of trust is enough, that you don't need a sacrifice to believe in someone. It seems as if that cloak is starting to lift off of her. She's left to wonder what's causing this but, just like the other situations that have been happening this month, she can't figure out what's happening in her mind.

Or what's happening _to_ her.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"So tell me again." Bonnie pauses to catch her breath, walker faster to keep up with Bella's strong, steady strides. "Why do we need to do this?"

"Because you still don't trust me, and we need to form a link."

"A link?"

Bella stops.

Bonnie looks back, and she can see the lights in the Salvatore house are still on; it comforts her a little. They're pretty far into the woods, but it's so silent. No owls nor crickets can be heard.

"You need to be able to channel Emily without needing contact with me."

Unsaid words make more of an impact. Whereas Elena is starting to pull away from Bella, Bonnie is starting to finally realize what her best friend had been trying to convey to her. She can feel something from Bella, as if she would make anything wrong right. Even now, she's thinking of making Bonnie more powerful for Elena, as the hybrid herself would be replacing Elena in the sacrificial ceremony. For the first time since she's met Bella, Bonnie feels sympathetic that Bella isn't meant to be around any longer. She can console herself as much as she wants that the hybrid had lived a long time as it is, but that wouldn't change that Elena would lose a dear friend…and Damon even more so.

"Here." Bella puts forth both of her hands, and when Bonnie extends to touch with both of hers, she nearly pulls back because the force exerting from Bella's torso is much more than expected, more than when she'd been trying to lower the tomb's shield.

She startles backward. Bella, however, doesn't react.

Bonnie tries again, touching Bella's hand, and a surge of rush goes through her. It's a buzz, starting at the top of her head, vibrating all the way to her toes. Its warmth and love and protection and everything her Grams used to represent to her.

Familiarity. That's all she feels.

And she knows.

Doubts shred away like wisps of dusts, and she trusts.

She believes.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"He's gone? Disappeared?"

"That's what Liz told me," Damon states, leaning back against the counter at the Gilbert's kitchen.

He's the picture of lean, strong, calm and collected, but Bella can tell there's something amiss. It's in his eyes. His expressions aren't always true to his feelings, but his eyes can never lie. They're those light baby blues when he's playful and happy, dull blue when his emotions get the best of him, and dark blue when he's turned on.

Right now, he's a bit worried, but not entirely. He doesn't believe that Jason will be any trouble to them, as he'd ran away at the first sight of trouble, but Bella remains on the edge. She wonders how Damon can forget how easily Jason had manipulated the situation so that Mason would bear the brunt of his own mistakes. If he can pull that off, he's smart enough to bring a lot of trouble into their already tense situation.

Damon has also been moodier than usual since the incident with Jason. Stefan thinks it's because of Klaus getting closer and the stakes rising, but Bella chalks it to him dealing with the guilt that's start to bubble up inside of him.

"So what do we do?"

"We, excluding you, Jeremy," Elena mumbles out, glaring at her younger brother.

Damon tuts, his expression bemused. "Come on, Elena. He just wants to join Team Badass."

"It's too dangerous," Elena argues.

"Don't expect me to sit here while you wait for your death!" Jeremy states to her in a low voice, leaving no room for argument as Stefan speaks up.

"Why don't we start reading the journals, Elena? We might find something out about it."

With a sigh, Elena heaves herself off of the couch, sending one last glare at Jeremy before following Stefan up to her room.

"So…" Jeremy drawls out, hoping for someone to speak up to end the pregnant silence in the room.

"We're gone, too," Damon replies, touching Bella's arm with his before walking ahead of her, pulling open the front door to let her through.

"And then there were two…"

Bonnie chuckles nervously, rubbing her arm. Things had been progressing slowly with Jeremy in a direction she didn't feel entirely comfortable with, at least without Elena's permission. In the days that he's been helping her figure out her power and the spells she's capable to do, she no longer thinks of him as Elena's little brother…but as Jeremy, the cute, funny guy that doesn't mind putting his life at risk for those he cares about.

He looks at her, really looks at her, and she can feel his stare down to her very core. It's as if he's seeing something that no one else can, not even she. It puts her on the brink of edge in both the most nerve wrecking and the most delicious way.

"Thank you for helping Elena," he whispers, as if afraid the moment would end if he uttered it any louder.

Bonnie hums, her eyes shifting to his mouth. He bites his bottom lip, just as he leans towards her, touching his lips briefly to hers.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Anything?" Elena asks Stefan, closing the journal in her hand shut. Frustration began to creep up on her when there were mentions of Katherine, but nothing about the Original family. John had gotten his information about hunting vampires through these journals, yet they couldn't find anything useful, or anything they didn't already know. All the journals are there, as Stefan has confirmed by skimming through the dates with his quick reading.

"No. This one's just about Katherine's arrival at Mystic Falls back then."

Elena's ears perk up. She glances slyly at Stefan to ponder his expression, but he's already shut the journal and moved onto the next one. She memorizes the binding of the diary to read later.

They spend some more time reading, Elena flipping a page after a minute or two while Stefan's hands are a blur as his brain processes the words much faster. Eventually, her fascination at watching Stefan read takes over, and her page-turning pauses. She gazes at him, wondering how a man could look so…sexy while doing a task as simple as reading, albeit at an extraordinary speed.

_Katherine who?_

She watches as his tongue peeks out a little to wet his lower lip, and the slight uplifting of lips tell her he knows what she's doing. She can't find it in herself to be embarrassed.

The journals are forgotten on the floor as she pulls him over her on the bed.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Elena waves to Stefan as he leaves, the smirk on his face remaining permanent. Bonnie hurries out the door too, without so much as looking at her and Elena turns to Jeremy, one eyebrow raised. Her brother meekly blushes, rubbing the back of his neck. He doesn't say anything, either, and hurries upstairs to his room. Seconds later, she hears the door of his room slam shut.

_Well, that was awkward._

Playfulness aside, there's something in Jonathan Gilbert's journal that is bothering her. She slowly makes her way back to her room, planning on reading more about Katherine's arrival in Mystic Falls. She has heard the story from both Stefan and Damon, but one had been too bitter, and the other too nonchalant. She's curious to see how Katherine affected the town and its people through someone else's eyes.

She settles down on her bed after changing her sheets, wiggling her toes under the comforter. She flips to the date that Damon had slipped into their conversation.

_1864, September 1st_

_Something's amiss. The blackened ink on my flesh has come into color again. I had rejoiced the time it had faded, but once again, leeches have reared their ugly heads. The council desires to rid of the sinners, yet none can find to be guilty. Vervain in the town water supply has not affected anyone, and so we are lead to believe we're free. Yet the marks on my arm speak otherwise. _

Elena's panicked breaths are coming out in pants. Ink on her ancestor's arm? Ink that only appears when vampires are there?

_There's another member in the Salvatore house; a young girl, age that of marriage. She's lost her parents in the Atlanta Campfire, but her origins are otherwise unknown. Her words suggest innocence, but her smiles tell of more. However, I trust Giuseppe to not let a creature of the night past his threshold. _

She can't read ahead anymore. Her mind isn't willing to focus on what she wanted to know, but rather on the news of the _ink_. Tattoos? Did they even exist at that time? Magical tattoos? If so, why did Jonathan Gilbert not find out about Emily sooner?

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_"I need your witch to be ready." _

_My eyebrow quirks up in question._

_"Why?" _

_"Jonas and Luka, I believe, are starting to shift their attention away from mine. My word used to be enough for them, but they're impatient. I'm afraid they will stop cloaking Isabella, and right now isn't the right time for them to." _

_"So you need Bonnie to help you?"_

_"No. She needs to help you. You're not the only one dependent on Isabella to be a 'surprise attack'. We need to catch Klaus off guard in order to make him vulnerable."_

_"That's all you called me here for? You could've said that to me on the phone, too, you know." _

_I'm starting to understand Elijah. The more I talk to him, the more I see you in him. Fiercely loyal, moral, hard exterior, yet caring, albeit even if he only cares about you while you can't help but protect everyone around yourself. _

_I turn to leave, before a question makes its way to my head. I look back to see him leaning against a tree casually, his hands in his pockets._

_"What are you going to do about witchy father and son?"_

_"They're collateral damage as far as I'm concerned now." _

_His look tells me everything. _

_"Damon, while we're on the topic of deaths…you ought to know. I want to kill Klaus, but I will do everything in my power to save Isabellabel. Regardless of who has to die in order for me to do that." _

_"Then we're on the same page." _

_He raises his eyebrow at me. "You don't care about Elena?"_

_"I can save them both."_

_"How so?"_

_"That's for me to know, Elijah. You just concentrate on your biceps. You need to be strong enough to kill your brother."  
><em>

_"Charlie's working on something, isn't he?"_

_I don't reply. If I do, I'll be giving him the upper hand._

_"Anything, Damon. Anything for her." _

_His words ring in my head long after he's left. Do I care about Elena? Of course I do. If something happened to her, Stefan would never survive it. He would be devastated. _

_Does that mean I care for her only as far as Stefan is concerned? _

_.  
><em>

_.  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>PLEASE READ.<strong>

_We, as readers, must never forget that Fanfiction authors write stories for our amusement and entertainment for free. They take time out of their real lives to provide us with wonderful tales that make us smile, laugh, and cry along with their characters. _

_For this reason, I have organized a set of awards: **The Burning Diamond Awards**. It's for the Twilight/Vampire Diaries fandom, so PLEASE go nominate your favorite stories in the Nominees section!_**  
><strong>

**crossoverawards . blogspot . com **(remove the spaces)


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my betas, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake _**for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter; they make my words flow smoothly with their beta magic dust. :) All/any mistakes are mine.****  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>But where will you go<br>With no one left to save you from yourself  
>You can't escape<br>You can't escape

You think that I can't see right through your eyes  
>Scared to death to face reality<br>No one seems to hear your hidden cries  
>You're left to face yourself alone<p>

But where will you go (where will you go)  
>With no one left to save you from yourself<br>You can't escape  
>The truth<br>I realize you're afraid (I realize)  
>But you can't abandon everyone<br>You can't escape  
>You don't want to escape<p>

I'm so sick of speaking words that no one understands  
>Is it clear enough that you can't live your whole life all alone?<br>I can hear you in a whisper  
>But you can't even hear me screaming<p>

Where will you go (where will you go)  
>With no one left to save you from yourself<br>You can't escape  
>The truth<br>I realize you're afraid (I realize)  
>But you can't reject the whole world<br>You can't escape  
>You won't escape<br>You can't escape  
>You don't want to escape<p>

-Evanescence

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Bella can vaguely remember little things when she had first woken up beside Elijah. Like the feeling of piercing warmth. Not heat, but warmth. The sounds of crickets, and the wind fluttering through the trees. The rough texture of grains of salt underneath fingertips. And the sharp stab-like rocks against her back.

When her eyes had fluttered open, she'd noticed the intense brown, mud-like color embedded deep into Elijah's eyes. There were spots of black in his irises, with thick eyelashes scattered across his eyelids.

She could see the roughness of the cave walls that had once before seemed so perfectly aligned, so smooth.

She can remember the numb feeling at the pit of her stomach that encouraged her to accept who she had become. Her mind had made sense of it, but the rest of her being had refused to believe it all. It was the smell of sweetness that had caught her attention, though. It made her throat burn. She barely had time to think, to utter a word before Elijah was putting a cup to her lips, letting her senses be surrounded only by the liquid that was steadily moving down her throat without her permission. She remembered it tasting bland, soothing naught the thirst, hunger, nor the ache in her throat.

She can remember Elijah's wary eyes, but the blood rushing through his veins was more potent. Her mouth waters as the smell of his blood reaches her nostrils.

Hunger.

Darkness. She can remember darkness in all of her senses except for one: taste on her taste buds. Strong, sweet, rusty…everywhere.

Hands had pushed her away, but she'd held on strong, as long as she could, until Elijah managed to throw her off.

Her hands had been shaking terribly when her brain caught up with her actions. She looked into Elijah's guilt-ridden eyes and unable to meet them with her head held high, she had ran. With her emotions heightened and the odd time of the very early morning, she'd hardly noticed beating hearts in the huts.

And Elijah? He remained the breath between dream-like state and a memory.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Her footsteps are heavy in the quiet air. Ditching school again; it has almost become a part of her routine it seems. She briefly wonders if Bonnie, Caroline, and the others are wondering where she is, if they would come to look for her in case something went amiss and her plan backfired.

A part of her wants to head back towards the Salvatore boarding house, knowing that there is a walking book of history living there, but the other part—the more dominant part—halts her steps. Her eyes dart side to side, looking in every direction, in every angle as if she's doing something wrong, trying to hide it within the trees

_You _are_ trying to hide,_ her thoughts murmur back to her.

But she isn't. She just doesn't want to find out about her family history in front of others. Bella would provide privacy, but she's not sure the hybrid would keep the information from Damon.

And Damon? He'd react first and question later. No, she can't do that. It's her ancestry, and she has the right to ask whomever she wants for answers.

Her footsteps are a little more confident now. Her heart is still thumping loudly against her chest and her palms are sweating but she doesn't stop. She can't stop, especially since she's close enough for Katherine to smell her blood.

It's more of a surprise than it is pleasant that Katherine is already waiting for her by the entrance, looking completely healthy for someone who hasn't had a drop of blood for more than two weeks.

"Elena Gilbert and quiet? I thought I'd never see the day."

"What's going on?"

Katherine laughs through her nose. "I'd love to say Stefan came by and put an end to my suffering, but it was someone else."

_Bella_.

"Who?"

"Why should I tell you?" The vampire smirks, her teeth gleaming even in the darkness, the contrast so much more than it would've been in the light.

"It was Bella, wasn't it?" Elena's lips twist downwards.

Katherine's eyebrows shoot up, nearly to her hairline. _Well_… If it could work in her favor, why not? She shrugs to herself.

Elena smiles humorlessly and shakes her head towards herself. Of course, of course this is what they'll get for taking in a complete stranger into their lives, believing without a word or thought of doubt. Why hadn't Elena questioned herself? Why had she left herself trust Bella so much? Quite obviously, the hybrid cannot be trusted…especially after what Elena has just learned. Feeding Katherine blood behind their backs? She can bet anything that Damon doesn't know about it. Perhaps he should…he should know the truth about the stranger living in their house.

_But Bella's not really a stranger, is she?_ A logical part of her brain questions. She brushes it aside.

She moves as close as she can towards Katherine without giving leverage enough so that the vampire can pull Elena in. She throws Jonathan Gilbert's journal into the cave, instructing Katherine to flip to the date that's burned into her mind.

Katherine's eyes are a blur, uninterested as she scans the pages, finding one bit of information too interesting, while another completely common history. She looks back at Elena, raising an eyebrow as if everything she's read is either nonsense, or already well versed.

Elena's patience wanes thin. "My bloodline has hunters in it."

"Ours, Elena, ours."

She ignores Katherine. "What is this about ink on Jonathan's arm? Why did it appear when you came into town?"

"What have you brought for me?"

"Bribery is unneeded, as I can clearly see."

Katherine clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "I won't answer without getting something in return."

Elena stares at the vampire, unmoving. "What do you want in exchange for answers?"

"Freedom."

"I can't help you in that."

"Yes, but Damon can."

Elena's brows furrow. "How?"

"He has something, something that could get rid of both our problems." Katherine's voice lowers, taking on an almost seductive tone. "Ask him to. He would never say no to you."

"You're wrong."

"It's worth a try."

"I need my answers now."

"Give me something."

Give her what? Her word? For Elijah, it had been enough. Elena grasps at the straws. "I promise to get you out."

Katherine laughs pretentiously. "Your word means nothing to me, but I have nothing to lose. Your witch doesn't have enough power, and Bella would refuse to let me step a foot out."

Elena's a bit insulted, but she pushes past it, hungry for answers. "Is my heritage the reason John was a hunter?"

"No, that's why your dad was a hunter."

Elena's mouth dries. She'd heard it before, from Stefan and Bella in hints, but she'd never believed it. How could she? Her father had been a gentle man, never raising a voice or a hand, nor could he ever. He was too empathetic to not understand about the choices vampires make. He'd been too forgiving to be a killer. Or perhaps Elena is just projecting her feelings towards him as a father rather than looking at him like a _man_, the kind a hunter can be…should be.

"He wasn't…he wasn't." Even to her own ears, her voice is weak. She's stripped down to her core, down to her emotions in front of the last vampire she'd want to be left so vulnerable with.

"Denial gets you killed, Elena. Learn to accept it. Start questioning things that don't seem to make sense. Jonathan Gilbert had a mark of being a hunter, but does John? What about Alaric? You humans think you know everything, when you miss more than half of the things that happen right in front of your eyes. Everything has to be pulled apart for you to understand." The bitterness is mentally exhausting towards the human, whose thoughts are spinning from Bella's betrayal, to her ancestor, to Damon.

How could Damon do that to her?

Elena steps back, her head spinning again. No matter how many times it's happened, she still can't get used to it. It starts out the same way: throbbing at the back of her head, pain making way to the top before settling into her temples. She sees Katherine's curious glance before she stumbles out of the cave.

Brightness.

Too bright.

She tries to grab at her cell phone, but her limbs won't cooperate with her. Her eyes dart around the forest, but she's unable to see any sign of life save for the trees.

Green. Green and brown everywhere.

She'd wandered too far away from home.

Too far…

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Stefan…"

"No, Damon." He turns to Bella. "I want to know what's going on. I know you know, Bella. I just know you do."

He's angry; an emotion so cogent that it's capable of bringing strength to the body and the mind of the caliber that the person _themselves_ hadn't known. And to be a vampire and have that anger? Not good.

He moves closer to Bella, his eyes narrowing. "What's going on with her? And don't you dare tell me everything will be fine, because she's being anything but normal." His tone is dangerously low, indicating his intention of being every bit serious.

From the corner of her eye, Bella can see Damon inching closer and closer with each word, but he's still half the room away, in the middle while Stefan and Bella stand by the door. Elena's still unconscious, found by Stefan only when Jeremy had called him, anxious at the sight of an empty bedroom. The odd thing that no one is paying attention to is the fact that they found Elena a few feet away from Katherine's tomb. It's slightly suspicious, but their priorities are set straight: Elena.

"It's the necklace."

"Elena's necklace."

"Tell me, Stefan. Where did you get it?"

He pushes past the anger, memories of his blackened time back in the 1920s coming back to him. "I found it…"

"After you forgot everything you'd done for three or four days?"

"How does that pertain to Elena?"

"Originals can compel vampires. You were compelled. The necklace belonged to the Original witch."

"Wait, the same one who put the curse on you?" Damon steps in.

Bella nods. "Since that necklace—amulet—has traces of Esther's magic, she can control the person wearing it. It also has Ayanna's magic connected. Only her lineage of witches can forcefully expel another's spiritual presence."

"Is she doing this to somehow get back at you?" Stefan asks.

"Klaus believes Elena to be the key to his hybrid fate. If the witch can kill her, he'd look for other methods, in which he may be able to find out about _me_."

"Two birds with one stone," Stefan comments.

Bella hums.

"How can we stop it? How come you haven't?"

"Once a witch's presence has entered a human body, especially that of a Supernatural, it cannot leave unless it wants to."

"Not even through a spell?" Damon questions.

"She's in Elena?" Stefan asks at the same time.

"Yes, Stefan. And a spell hasn't been tried yet."

"But it could be possible?"

"If you put your mind to it, isn't anything?" Bella lets a smile spread across her lips towards Damon. "Will is everything."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

One thing that Bonnie has learned about Angela is that she practically worships Bella. In a completely healthy way, though. A year older, but more at ease with her power, Angela's thoughts on Bella are refreshing to hear for Bonnie, who has been struggling with her newly acquired feelings for the hybrid ever since that moment in the graveyard.

"When exactly is she keeping you with your GED?"

"Whenever. It's a three hours a day for five days. We usually split up an hour or two extra a day to make up for it." Angela leans in, whispering with a wink. "She lets an hour or two slide without question."

Bonnie smiles at her. "So what are we looking for?"

"A massacre sight."

"Why?"

"To attain the power of an ancestor. It could be either yours, or mine."

Bonnie gnaws at her bottom lip. "We both have a common bloodline."

Angela looks up from the thick, old book lying open on her lap. "Ayanna."

"How come you got her grimoire?"

Angela shrugs. "I've always wondered about that. None of my family members have any powers."

"How did you find it?"

"It was in my room. Its pages were blank until I was old enough to understand."

"Your parents didn't question it?"

"They thought it was my diary. The pages were blank for them—always." Angela lays a land on Bonnie's. "I'd like to think of it this way: I got the grimoire that I was supposed to, and you got yours."

It's a comforting thought that she hadn't been left out to Bonnie, but at the same time, she's curious to know why exactly Angela won't let her see the pages and spells. She trusts Angela, but is there something that Angela isn't telling her? Is there something that she wants to remain hidden?

Bonnie smirks humorlessly to herself. Now that she's starting to believe in Bella, her trust from Angela is lifting. It seems to be a continuous circle that she wants to get out of. Her eyes flit to the book lying by Angela, her fingers itching to hold the binding, to look inside at all the spells that she's sure her own grimoire doesn't have. The thick book has centuries of knowledge within, spells from the time that even food sources other than wild meat and wild berries didn't exist.

Angela yawns. They'd been working through everything for the past three hours.

"If you want to go to bed, you can," Bonnie offers.

While her dad's and her Gram's rooms are kept closed for guests, there is a guest bedroom that was set up just for Angela.

Bonnie's been so lonely after her Grams died. Her father lived with her, but he didn't talk to her. He didn't understand her…he didn't want to. He knew about her witch lineage, but he never talked about it. All he understands is the magic is why his wife left him. Bonnie suspects that if he were to acknowledge her abilities, he's afraid his daughter might leave him, too.

"I'll take that offer, actually…" Angela tugs upstairs, dragging her feet.

Bonnie waits until she's sure Angela's asleep before inching towards Ayanna's grimoire. It's a horrible way to ease her restless conscience, but she could always ask Angela to look through it. But what if the witch says no? What would Bonnie do then?

She grabs the thick book before she can guilt trip herself out of it, her fingers pulling to a random page. Most of the spells her eyes fly over are the ones she's read before, probably in Emily's grimoire. She pushes her disappointment away, still flipping pages.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

They're all the same spells, yet Angela's book is thicker than hers. Her mind goes to Elena pulling apart the pages in the Gilbert ancestor book. She flips to the very middle, the tips of her fingers trying to separate the thick paper from the top sides.

_Failure_, she thinks, before one of her fingernails lifts a paper off of the other. The separation isn't from the edges, but rather the middle, forming a horizontally wide poster.

Blank.

Entirely blank.

Disappointment weighs her down heavily on her stomach. Either there's nothing wrong about the book—but then why are there pages intricately hidden or wound so deceivingly?—or it's the fact that she's not ready to see those spells. It's most likely the latter, as Angela had stated earlier about her parents not being able to see the spells….

Jealously. It rages from the pit of her stomach and spreads to her chest. How come Bella believes Angela is more powerful? Bonnie has been training just as long. Even her dead ancestors trust more in Angela than her.

No more, though. Bonnie purses her lips together, tiptoeing upstairs to check on Angela before grabbing her jacket and making her way out the door.

She can't think straight; she'd always been put off by her friends. From Elena, who'd always been the friendly butterfly that everyone loved, to Caroline, who had been the volunteer in almost all activities and a loved by all daughter of the sheriff.

Before she knows it, she's at the only motel in town, by The Grill. She remembers the route to his rented room from the time he'd been her partner in the Baby Project. Before she knows it, she's standing in front of his door, knocking. There isn't any answer, and she knocks again, waiting for a few minutes.

No response.

Bad feelings are piercing at her, bad vibes, so she murmurs a spell to open the door, stepping in.

It's dark, so quiet…too quiet. She admires the ground-to-ceiling bookshelf full of grimoires before peeking her head into Luka's room. Her eyes widen when she sees him on the floor, suffocating silently. The skin around his throat is pressing in, as if invisible fingers are choking him.

She gasps loudly, rushing to him and dropping down to her knees. She doesn't know any spells that would help her save Luka. Jonas is on the floor above him, his figure previously blocked by the wall.

She's trembling, her mouth gaping…there's nothing she can do right now. She doesn't _know_ what to do.

Jonas startles her horribly when he grabs her arm, his fingers digging into her skin painfully. He's trying to tell her something, but in her haze of panic, she can't read his lips, nor hear his words.

Burn.

Heat.

Power.

Everything. It's starting from his fingertips and flowing into her arm before spreading across her whole body.

Strangeness.

She's almost blacked out until they're both dead. Jonas and Luka struggle one last time before they still, Jonas' hand on Bonnie's arm loosening.

Guilt. Bella had been right. Her dead ancestors had been right. Bonnie is willing to bet anything that Angela would've been able to save the father and son. She'd failed. She'd used Luka before, but the feeling of guilt and utmost devastation is hitting her hard right now.

She stumbles out towards the living room. She wipes the wetness from the tears she didn't know she cried away from her cheeks, sniffling. She grabs Luka's bag, putting as many grimoires as she can fit into it.

She'd learn everything there is to learn. That and with Jonas and Luka's added power, she'd be able to defeat Klaus.

She'd be a more powerful and a better witch than Angela.

The only question that is at the back of her mind is her desire to do which one is more potent?

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_The strong and bitter taste of bourbon is soothing to my burning throat. As the days get closer to the full moon, your heart beat is increasing, which only elevates my desire to nip at that pulsing vein in your long neck. But then I remember the last time I drank your blood; I couldn't digest human blood afterwards, and I'm not too interested in experiencing that detox any time soon._

_The fact that Katherine is sitting across us smirking makes me pull you closer. That silver skin peeking through the bottom of your top is distracting. I can't stop the smile from my lips when you slyly shiver as my thumb rubs over your hip, the softness unparallel. _

_You're too tense. This isn't the first time that I wish I knew what was going through your mind; if only I did, I'd know what's bothering you. It's much more than just Katherine's freedom. _

_Your eyes are darting towards the door again and again. I feel as if you're going to run out before any of us will know what's going on. With Elena blacking out and her delicate state of my mind, as well as that feeling of impending thunder by fate, Klaus isn't currently your number one priority. He is mine, though. _

_He's after you. Well, after Elena, but by definition, he's going to get to you, and I won't let even Katherine's conceited self get in the way. _

_"You're not going to ask anything?" she asks. Her eyebrow is cocked at me, something that I used to find so attractive, but it doesn't hold even a candle anymore._

_I am curious…and she offered. "Who did you feed on? What poor soul got in your way?"_

_She chuckles. _

_"I didn't have to feed on anyone. Sweet John made sure I had enough warm, fresh blood. It was extra supernatural, tangy with magic, if you will." _

_There's a look in her eyes that tells me she knows much more than she's letting on, and her determination is clear. She's trying to come off as confident, but she's not. There's something brewing up in her mind. I've learned to read her well enough after going through my memories so many times in the past century to know that she got out of the tomb not only because she was dying alive, but also because she needs to do something. _

_"Did Elena not tell you?"_

_It's the first acknowledgement that Elena had indeed gone to meet Katherine, even after we'd told her repeatedly not to. This just became complicated. I try to ignore it; Stefan has to deal with it this time. _

_Your eyes are narrowed. My eyes flit from your dark brown eyes to your lip. You're biting the bottom one, which usually means you're concentrating on something so hard or that you're reading someone's mind. _

Katherine.

_You'd assured me you'd never read mine, or Stefan or Elena's thoughts after you moved in…permanently, and Katherine is the only other person in the room. _

_Color me curious, sweetheart, but I have to know. What's going on in that head of yours?_

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>How was your Christmas? Plans for New Years? When do you want the next chapter? Talk to me! :) <strong>

**Previews will be sent out on Monday.  
><strong>


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to my betas, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake _**for leaving me their thoughts and corrections on this chapter; they make my sentences flow smoothly with their beta magic dust. :) All/any mistakes are mine.****  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Shove me under you again<br>I can't wait for this to end  
>Sober, empty in the head<br>I know I can never win  
>Why should I have to wait<br>I'll just look the other way

We left this land of shiny lights  
>I wish I may, I wish I might<br>When all these dreams have come to end  
>You wish you were, you're not my friend<p>

I can see you suffocate  
>I can find no other way<br>Try to make you saturate  
>I can be your enemy<br>Why should I have to wait  
>I'll just look the other way<p>

You said you'd love  
>To see the end<br>The long hard road  
>That I have been<br>When all these dreams have come to end  
>You wish you were, you're not my friend<br>Blind eyes shine bright

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

All good things come to an end.

That proverb has been used for centuries. It's been a moral for the realists, words to live by for the cynical, and a statement to prove wrong for the opportunists. But for Bella, they've always been true. Every time she'd come close to happiness, it never lasted for more than a few months…a year at the most.

When she had met Edward, she'd been charmed by his boyish humor, his adorable dorkiness. He would make witty comments that matched her sarcastic remarks. He'd never let her get the last word. His chivalry charmed her, and his humor made her fall in love with him just within a few short weeks. He had dispelled her fears of him being repulsed by her very nature, but he in turn admired her for her ability to control her thirst. She never could understand how his mindset worked.

It wasn't until he had proposed that she'd realized the consequences of her actions. Either she would have to stay with Edward as he grew old and eventually died, leaving her, or he would have to become a vampire to stay with her…and not be _her_ Edward anymore. She had thought he would change completely from who he was and become a blood-craving, guilt ridden husband.

She had still turned him though, because she couldn't bear the thought of ever being away from him, or having to watch him part from life. She'd been partly wrong in her predictions to Edward's post-vampirism. He didn't crave blood enough to trigger his personality to change, but he hadn't been able to control his thirst when he smelled fresh blood from a wound on a young girl one late night. The guilt that consumed him was so great that it transpired into Bella as well.

She can remember him begging her to put him out of his misery, to stake him and get it over with; however, she couldn't. She never could even try. She would give him false hope in sobs that she would help him learn control, yet she wasn't able to. She had failed; it had been her fault.

But Katherine…she had granted Edward his greatest wish in his ending days—his death. Bella couldn't even do that much.

She tried killing herself; she knew she couldn't, yet that didn't stop her from trying.

It was then she realized her selfishness knew no bounds. She was willing to let her unborn descendent—the doppelganger—suffer just because she wasn't able to contain her suffering. Even if she couldn't die, she shouldn't have been trying.

This time, though, she can't be selfish. Damon is strong; he's strong enough to be able to survive Bella's impending death, but Stefan would never be able to survive parting from Elena. She couldn't think of herself at this moment. She's lived long enough…more than she ought to have. It's her time to do what should've been done ages ago.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"We brought a peace offering," Bonnie offers, holding up a box of assorted chocolates as Caroline opens the door.

"Hi," the blonde vampire sniffles out, hugging both Elena and Bonnie as she pulls them into the house.

"Where's Liz?" Elena questions.

"Work."

Bonnie pulls Caroline in, as Elena shuts the door, and seats her between her two best friends. Elena settles for rubbing her hand against Caroline's back as the witch's arm is wrapped around the vampire's shoulders, without any intent of letting go soon.

"Where's Bella?" Caroline questions. "I thought she was your bodyguard."

Elena exchanges looks with Bonnie. "She figured it wouldn't be the best time to be around you this week. Her bite is worse than her bark right now."

Not that Caroline isn't slightly happy that the hybrid isn't there, but she's still curious. "She can manage to be around Damon, though?"

Elena shrugs. "I've never asked."

"Never-mind about that," Bonnie interrupts. "We're here to watch chick flicks all night, and talk if you want, Care."

"Let's watch a movie first."

They decide on watching _A Bride for Christmas_, hoping for not only some laughs, but also a distraction. The last thing that Caroline wants to think about is Tyler. It wasn't until he'd said goodbye to her outside her front door while she stood hidden that she realized the reason she'd been helping him had changed. It was no longer about making his vulnerable state stronger; it had assimilated to getting to know the person he'd kept hidden behind his asshole exterior.

"I can't believe he's gone," she whispers, silent sobs bursting from inside of her. She doesn't let any tears escape, though. She's cried enough already. Bonnie and Elena remain quiet, their arms wrapped around Caroline. "I can't believe he actually let our health teacher torture me. I mean, who does that to someone who helped them?"

"He wasn't thinking," Bonnie soothes.

"Yes he was. He was thinking that I'd gone behind his back. How could he after all I did for him?" She stops talking as minutes tick by. The movie is paused; the only sound resonating through the room is of the second hand on the clock that kept ticking. "I did go behind his back," she whispers softly. "I should've told him everything."

"You couldn't, Care. It wasn't your secret and you only respected that. It's not your fault."

"But he's not coming back, Elena. He's gone…and it's my fault. Maybe he would've stayed if I'd been honest with him."

Silence.

Caroline sniffles a few more times before straightening her back. She wipes at her face as if to remove her feelings. "Forget about me. What about you two?"

Bonnie's first reaction is of defense. Does somebody else know what she did? "What about us?"

"I heard Katherine's out of the tomb. And Jonas and Luka are dead. How did all of this happen in one day?"

Elena shrugs, fiddling with her thumbs. "We're still trying to figure out how Katherine got out."

Bonnie's expression is a mixture of defeat and anger. "I couldn't save them."

"It's not your fault," Elena tries to calm the witch down; it seems to be the only thing she's doing lately. It's not a daunting task, but she's run out of things to say and ways to convince; how many times can someone tell another it's not their fault before the words become completely meaningless?

Bonnie snorts. "I'm a witch, Elena. I could've helped them."

"You can't stop someone from dying, Bonnie."

"It wasn't a natural death. It was by magic, and I should've been able to stop it. He helped us…they helped us."

Bonnie and Elena had originally gone there to make Caroline feel better yet by the end of the night, all they've managed to do is find that despite their best efforts, they've all lost something because of situations they can't control. Elena had lost the trust in the one person she should've trusted most as Bella ensured her life, Bonnie lost a link to the magical world because she didn't have enough knowledge to prevent the wrong usage of magic, and Caroline lost Tyler because she kept mum on a secret that wasn't hers. It's said that in the dark times, even the shadow leaves a person. It's only a matter of a few days that would either prove that statement right or wrong in their lives. Only until Klaus got to Mystic Falls…

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"I'm surprised Bella hasn't stopped me from my criminal behavior." The over-sized glasses never fail to make Damon grin.

"Who says she knows about your secret cave?" Damon's only teasing; they're in broad daylight, in the Gilbert's office that remains untouched since the fire incident that John led. "Hit me with it, old man."

"Watch it." Charlie pokes a metal stick into Damon's side, smirking at the responding flinch.

"Sorry, Pops. Out with the information."

"I used the magnetophoretic microsystem to separate the red and white blood cells from both Bella and Elena's blood samples. That way I could look to see what separates them and what binds them."

"Did you find anything that could be useful?" It's not said unkindly; however, the desperation of finding a solution has increased as the days of the full moon inch closer.

"I found something…but it would do more damage than help. I still have a test to go through but, at the moment, I'm all out of ideas. It would be a dangerous sector for Elena, as well. If we can somehow repel the bindings between both girls, we might be onto something. Those are our only theories; I can't do any accurate experiments on just blood samples, and I'm not willing to take the risk on conducting them on Bella or Elena."

"Back to square one, then."

Charlie twists his lips to one side and then the other, his eyes mirroring the expression on Damon's face: disappointment. They'd found nothing scientifically that would help their case; the only thing left now is to find a way through magic.

"Think Angela would know something?" Damon questions.

"I don't know, maybe." Charlie's head snaps up, the wide goggles looking like big animal eyes on his forehead. "I might know someone else who could help me with these."

"Who?"

"Carlisle. He's got extensive medical practices on humans, while I'd kept to myself and vampire patients. He'd be able to expand the knowledge...we might be able to get something."

"Bella mentioned something about him."

"He's my childhood friend. He could help me with this."

Charlie's eyes meet Damon's, as if silently arguing on who would be the one to tell Bella of the plans.

"I'd have to go to Chicago, of course...but he'll definitely help," Charlie mutters to himself, his hands already start to close various tubes and putting them in a vile chamber, cascading them within a small, foam box. "Bella probably won't let me but she doesn't have to know."

Damon holds his hands up. "This is all on you, buddy."

"But Damon!"

"She'd let you off the hook faster than me!"

Charlie practically simpers. "That's not true."

"I'm not telling her."

The vampire scientist narrows his eyes. "You'd do well abiding by my orders, boy."

Damon scoffs. "Orders?"

"Yes, orders. If you're nice and follow my directions, I'll bring you back some chocolates."

Damon mockingly imitates an expression of happiness and eagerness, his heart slightly warming at the exchange with the man he'd come to admire.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"I see you're back."

Elena ignores Katherine's snide remarks. She's angry at the way her doppelganger had picked up on her thoughts and feelings towards Bella and used them against her. She'd purposely spread poison through Elena's mind…for what? What could Katherine possibly use that for? She ought to have known the truth would come out sooner or later.

Elena raises her nose at Katherine's boots, which are lying on the table she usually puts her breakfast at. Her eyes dart through the rooms before tilting her head backwards, looking up towards the stairs.

"Stefan? Damon?"

"No one's home except me. You'll have to make do."

The human sighs, making her way back towards the front door as she reaches for her cell phone. Just as she's about to dial Stefan's number, Katherine blurs in front of her. The darkness of her eyes seems to reflect her soul, her lost humanity. She leans in closer and closer to Elena, nearly touching her nose to the doppelganger's.

"For the first time I'm curious about you, Elena. You're hiding something…something eerie. I can see it in your very eyes. They're no longer that naïve, unknowing… What is it, hm?"

Elena stutters. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do." The vampire's beady eyes flicker down to Elena's neckline, zoning in on the necklace. "By the way…has Bella told you about the history of that amulet?"

"History?" Elena's brows pull together.

Katherine's lips make a small 'o', mocking. "Stefan hasn't told you, either?"

"Stefan?" Her voice is lower than a whisper, but Katherine hears.

"Hold the reins, Elena. We all know the Salvatore brothers love to share."

Dizziness. She bites her bottom lip hard to stop it from quivering. She wouldn't let Katherine get the upper hand.

The smirk on the vampire's face is enough to send Elena into a whirl all over again. She can feel her emotions contorting, Katherine's mind games getting to her once again, and she puts all of her effort to push away the doubts. _It's only mind games…just games…_

Elena pushes past Katherine, making her way out the door. Bonnie and she had just spent the day with Caroline, soothing the discontented blond, but right now, she just wanted Stefan. Tyler's run had reminded her of the time Stefan broke up with her, believing it was to keep her safe, and all those emotions of abandonment and loneliness had made their way back into her. All she wants right now is to wrap her arms around Stefan and feel the safety he provided. It's the only time she's sure of herself nowadays. It's the only time that the headaches remain at bay.

At the back of her mind, she briefly wonders if she ought to talk to Bella; Katherine's appearance in the house must've bothered the hybrid, but a part of her pushes that back. Talking to Bella about this would only open the doors for the hybrid to question Elena, and answers is what she wants desperately, too. She wants to know why this is happening to her, why Bella can no longer to talk Damon about something in front of her, why Damon looks at her with an odd look in his eyes, why Stefan feels she ought to be monitored every single second.

It's driving her insane, and she has no one she can go to answers…except Elijah.

But where could she find him? He hadn't been seen around the town like usual since Katherine has gotten out of the tomb. Had John done something?

Remembering John and his actions brings a whole new bout of anger through Elena. How could her biological father do this to her? Even if he didn't care much for her, he didn't have to increase their troubles by letting a vengeful vampire out of the only source of containment they had for her.

The hairs on the back of her neck rise, as she gets the feeling of being followed. She slows her steps down, yet the stones of the rough road crunching remain at the pace from before behind her. Her hands slyly search her jeans pockets for any type of weapon, and she breathes in deeply when she finds a pen. Her hands grip it tight, before she spins around abruptly, her eyes widening.

The woman easily towers over Elena, her straight, shoulder length hair straight. Her brown eyes—so much like Bonnie's—stare into Elena's.

"I'm looking for Elijah."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_Alaric's face is priceless as he first handedly sees Katherine in The Grill. I nearly laugh loudly. _

_"Blowing off steam?" he questions, his eyes grilling holes into the woman sitting next to me. I don't bother to answer his unspoken question._

_"Something like that." I swirl the golden liquid in my glass before downing it, the bitterness making my throat close up a little. As much as I can control the wince, as much as the burn is soothing, the taste of whiskey remains bitter. _

_He goes mum for a few minutes, before letting out a sigh through clenched teeth. "Jenna's upset." _

_"I'm not a marriage counselor, Ric." _

_"No, but you're the one who gets things done the fastest around here." _

_I show him my teeth, my lips pulling into a mock grin. "Usually ends up with someone dead." _

_"At this point I don't really care." _

_I raise my eyebrows at him. To have him talk like this—something must really be wrong. "It can't be worse than having a bitchy vampire stalk you all over town." _

_Katherine huffs next to me. The smell of peppermint on her breath is deliciously familiar, but it doesn't take much to force those thoughts away from my head. I've rather started liking spearmint, anyway…_

_"Jenna wants to leave the house."_

_"Oh?"_

_"John told her everything." _

_"About?" _

_More whiskey. _

_"Biological relationships. And he demanded the papers of the house over." _

_I grin into my glass; John's motive behind it is predictable. "Stefan's being put into the dog house by the dad. How did we not see this coming?"_

_Alaric put weight on his right elbow, leaning the top of his torso onto the bar. He lifts his index finger, making a swirling motion. "I want him gone." _

_"I'm off duty." _

_Alaric narrows his eyes. "What's wrong with you?"_

_"He doesn't have Bella holding back his tongue," Katherine mumbles from my left side. I want to kick her foot to stop her from talking, but I'm not that much of a barbarian. _

_John's new demands are diminutively entertaining, but I'm far more concerned about keeping the vindictive vampire by the bar per Stefan's plea. Not to mention Charlie leaving…I still don't know how you'll react to his absence._

_He better bring me some damn good chocolates._

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>Tell me things!<br>**

**Previews will be sent out on Monday.  
><strong>


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to the wonderfully talented, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**; they make my writing pretty. All/any mistakes are mine.****  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>No, there's nothing you say that can salvage the lie<br>But I'm trying to keep my intentions disguised  
>And now I'm deprived of my conscience and something's got to give<br>Deprived of my conscience  
>This all belongs to me, yeah<p>

I'm beaten down again,  
>I belong to them<br>Beaten down again,  
>I've failed you<br>I'm weaker now my friend,  
>I belong to them<br>Beaten down again,  
>I've failed you<p>

The deception you show is your own parasite  
>Just a word of advice you can heed if you like<br>And now I'm convinced on the inside that something's wrong with me  
>Convinced on the inside you're so much more than me, yeah<br>I'm beaten down

-Seether

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

The melancholy of knowing you've lived more than you ought to have; that you've surpassed your descendants is achingly present every day. For Charlie Swan, it's been a rough road, and not just the uneven gravel under the jolting car, but the path of his entire life. He can remember his human existence clearly, which makes the loneliness worse. He can remember the soft kisses his mother would bestow upon him, even though he'd reached his teenage years. He could remember the rough hugs his father would give him when his bullet would cut through his target. The homely smell of mud houses and sweets baking in the oven still roam around him.

Carlisle and he had lived in a small village, just barely on the outskirts of what is now Chicago. Huts and clay houses scattered just few yards from the Mississippi River. The area hadn't been known well until Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette traveled over. After their leave, more populations shifted, as did the knowledge of vampires. Both Carlisle's and his father had been the lead; their household had the most weapons, yet somehow the vampires—or leeches, as they'd termed it back then—penetrated into the safety of their house and had changed the two best friends in retribution.

The thirst had been powerful, but the two resisted by sticking a piece of wood in their hand to concentrate on the pain instead. It wasn't until a young, beautiful woman found them, brought them to her temporary house, and taught them the self-control of feeding without killing. Both Carlisle and Charlie owed it to Bella that their hands remained clean of any death for the last five centuries.

The car comes to a stop outside of a hospital, and Charlie grabs the stethoscope from his bag, wringing it around his neck. He has a part to play.

He flashes a wide smile at the receptionist inside, who is busy on the phone so she doesn't stop to question him about his luggage. He carries on, a skip in his step at the excitement of meeting his old friend. He brushes off the curious glances, stepping into Carlisle's office to drop off his stuff. He sits behind the desk, putting both feet up casually.

He doesn't have to wait long until Carlisle steps in, his eyes moving rapidly across the file in his hands. At the sound of humming, the blond looks up, a grin stretching across his face to reveal pearly whites before he masks his expression into mock annoyance.

"Feet off."

Charlie shakes his head. "No."

Carlisle sighs, sitting down across from his old buddy. "You called in panic. What's wrong?"

"Someone needs our help."

.

.

.

.

Damon sits on his leather recliner, elbows on knees, his phone put on speaker on the table. It seems to be a necessary access to help Elena feel a little less uncomfortable. While the rest of the two in the living room could hear with their special abilities, Elena wouldn't have been able to.

"He had the answer?"

Charlie mumbles off facts excitedly, something with the antibodies in Bella and Elena's bodies, but the latter isn't even paying attention. That only thing she can concentrate is on the spark in Damon's eyes when he finds out there is a way to separate the binding between Bella and her. The information should've comforted her, but it's only set her on edge. Does this mean that Damon would try anything to save Bella and not care for her since she would no longer be bound to her? Or would he try to finish her off so that Klaus doesn't see Bella?

"Hey," a soft voice whispers in her ear. Stefan's gentle hand squeezes her shoulder lightly, bringing her out of her stupor. He looks at her as if she's fragile, but he doesn't look worried at all. Did he know all this time what Damon and Charlie had been trying to do? All she'd known was that Charlie was finding the scientific reason why Bella and she are attached… They're all going behind her back. When had Bella become the most important person to save?

Stefan tries again. "Are you okay?"

She can feel herself nodding. "You should go hunt."

"I can wait." Wait until she's asleep, he means…

"No, it's okay. Damon's here."

She watches his retreating figure, and the front door opening catches all their attention. Elena's nerves kick up when Bella walks in, smiling and exchanging a few, small sentences with Stefan, and then sje leaves with him. He's going hunting, and Bella doesn't drink the same blood as him, so why go through the trouble?

Damon's finger taps at her temple. "Relax."

She wants to scoff in response, but decides against it.

"You need a ride to school?"

"Are you offering to be the chauffeur?" She lets a grin slip.

"When you put it that way… No. I recede my offer."

The sound of heels turns their heads to the stairs.

Lucy takes angry strides towards them, her hair bouncing against her thin, silk jacket. "I am not sharing a room."

"Oh come on. She's a witch, you're a witch. You're practically family."

"I don't care. I'm not sharing a room."

"Then you can share it with your comrade. Katherine's in the next room."

"You mean she's not sleeping in the same bed as you?" The jab makes Damon's eye twitch once.

"I'm sure you'd keep her much more satisfied. You have more to offer than I do."

"I refuse to share with her."

Damon points to the front door. "The exit is that way."

Lucy pulls back her lips. "I'm here to help you, and this is how you treat me?"

"I haven't opened a shelter for the witches. You're not here to help _me_, you're here to help Elijah."

She throws her hands up in the air. "I can't find him!"

"That isn't my problem."

Elena watches in morbid fascination as Damon's eyes crinkle together, his knees bucking, and his seat at the edge of the recliner slips backwards at the sudden weight. He crumbles to the floor, his fingertips pressing into his temples.

"Stop it," he growls out.

Elena reaches towards the irritated witch, but her hand falters in midair. "Lucy, you promised," she pleads. "You told me you'll only help."

The witch purses her lips, her eyes displaying mirth. "I'm done here anyway." She flips her hair, walking back upstairs. Elena's sure that in just a few minutes, they'll be losing their surprise visitor. It brings a sense of relief to her.

"I'm not used to it anymore," Damon groans.

"What do you mean?" Elena asks.

"Bonnie doesn't do it anymore. Those needle pricks in my brain are foreign now." He looks at Elena from the corner of his eye. "Why is Lucy here?"

She shrugs. "She said she's here to meet Elijah."

"So where is Elijah?" Damon's voice is carefully masked in monotone.

"I haven't seen him. Why?"

"Just wondering. He's usually around you, so if he hasn't visited you, where has he been?"

A test. "That's a good thing, isn't it, Damon? That Elijah hasn't been around here?"

A hum is the only response she receives.

She leaves Damon to his devices, texting Bonnie about picking her up outside of the Salvatore house. Her phone chimes and as she looks down to the screen, a car skids to a stop in front of her.

"Hello, Elena." The woman lowers the passenger side window further, leaning over the middle divider. Sunglasses cover the icy eyes.

Elena closes her eyes tightly. As if they didn't have enough to worry about…

"Why are you here?" Her tone is icy even to her own ears. She can't help it; she'd prefer to stay far away from the person who'd given birth to her. As much as Elena doesn't want it, Isobel puts her on the edge. No one can taint the memory of her mother, but Isobel's constant presence serves to remind Elena of her actual roots.

"I'm here to help you."

Elena scoffs. Isobel's eyes dim a bit; however, her daughter doesn't notice. It is better that she doesn't.

"You have no reason to believe me, I know," the vampire starts, "But I'm here to answer any questions you have."

Elena bites the hook. "Now?"

"Come with me." Isobel pushes open the passenger door, raising an eyebrow.

Elena's feet falter, but when she hears the Salvatore Boarding house door pull open, she jumps in, closing the door in the nick of time just as Damon blurs close. Isobel drives away, not as far as she could've, but Damon doesn't follow.

The expression on his face as he stands at the vacant spot the car was in stays in her mind, haunting.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Where's Elijah?"

"You'd be better off asking that from your father," Isobel replies.

"John isn't my father," Elena spits out through her teeth.

"You can't deny whose blood runs in those veins."

Elena scowls. "Why are you back?"

"Like I said, I'm here to help you, whether you'd like to believe it or not."

"I don't need you."

"This isn't the time to be stubborn, Elena. Do you even realize who you're up against? Do you know what Klaus looks like? What the real sacrifice is?"

Elena's chin tilts upward. "I know."

"Know what?"

"What the sacrifice is."

"Wonderful. Tell me now… If he were to come and stand in front of you tomorrow, would you know who he is?"

The younger woman hesitates. As much as she doesn't want to admit, she is at a disadvantage.

"That's what I thought." Isobel's eyes soften. "I'm not here to point out the flaws in whatever plan you have. I'm here to try to help answer your questions and keep you safe."

"Why would you do that?"

"I am your mother after all, Elena. There had been a reason why I've been absent your entire life."

"Enlighten me, then."

"I needed to keep you safe."

Elena's brows come together. "By threatening me through your compelled humans before letting me witness their colorful murder? Or by trying to kill Stefan and Damon?"

"The more vampires you have close to you, the more attention you gather from that world. I wanted to keep you safe."

"How would staying in the John's family have done that?" She can feel a deep pang in her chest. How different would her life have been if Isobel had left her with some other family?

"Don't you see, Elena? They're hunters. No one could've protected you better than them."

"My—my parents?"

The vampire nods.

Elena's throat closes up; she finds it difficult to breathe. Both Stefan and Bella had mentioned this previously, but she didn't listen. Isobel's right; Elena doesn't know much about what she's heading head first into. She has one last question that's piercing her mind.

"What's going on with me?"

Isobel doesn't look confused. "Specifically?"

"Fainting, blackouts, amnesia to list a few. I faint, and then I can't remember anything. Stefan knows the reason, Damon knows the reason, and Bella knows the reason. Why won't anyone tell me?" The frustration seeps into her every word.

"That necklace you're wearing." A thin, frail finger points at Elena's collarbone. "It has traces of a very powerful witch, someone who wants Klaus dead. She's using you to do it."

"She's using me to attack Klaus?"

"No. She's using you as a pawn to play all the vampires against each other so this town can be rid of them."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Her hand grips Elena's arm tightly as both women make their way into an abandoned house. As Isobel had promised, she'd explained how an Original died and brought Elena to Elijah's corpse, leaving the decision on whether or not to revive him to the human.

Her mother leaves quietly, stealthily out of the house. Elena weighs the pros and cons of each.

Reviving Elijah would mean trusting an Original to not go against his words…letting him play dead would ensure someone she cared about would die…specifically Bonnie who had gotten too involved with learning deeper magic. She'd seen what happened with simple spells. How could she let her childhood friend sacrifice herself just to save Elena? She doubts she'd be able to keep Bonnie, or any of them, away from the dangers, but right now she has a choice. If she brings back Elijah, they'd have a chance of winning…they'd have the chance of coming out perhaps not unscathed, but alive. All of them.

The hairs at the back of her neck rise; she gets the feeling of being watched again, but when she turns, it's only empty, old wooden room with spider webs all over the ceiling and the glass on the windows half broken.

She doesn't hesitate any longer in pulling the silver dagger from the Original's chest. She waits on her hunches, watching as the grey skin turns olive colored slowly, as the thick veins protruding from every inch of his flesh shrink, leaving it smooth. She waits with baited breath as he gasps in, his eyes opening wide.

He takes one look at her, growls, and blurs out of the house, leaving her to watch after him with a confused expression.

She waits for seconds, minutes, or even hours as the light outside disappears into a somber darkness. She stays rooted in the same place, sitting with bent knees on her calves.

Soft footsteps ring out through the room. She turns towards the figure, watching him wipe at the corner of his mouth with a white handkerchief.

"I won't lie—I am quite surprised you are still here."

She shrugs. She's angry at herself for not thinking about a vampire's thirst, and angry at Isobel for not providing her with some sort of blood packet. "I have no way to go home."

"I suspect you have a phone, do you not? Or does nobody else know you are here?" Elijah's brown eyes are gentle.

She shrugs again, avoiding looking at him in the eye.

"Come on. I'll drop you off at home."

"I—I wanted to talk to you first."

"Yes?"

"I need to know. If it came down to Bella and me in the end, who would you choose?"

"I wouldn't have to. I'd kill Klaus."

"But if it did…Bella or me?"

"She's already chosen to give up, Elena. Do you not see? She's choosing to save you in any way." He raises a hand to stop Elena's question before she even asks. "But if it came to that, she is my priority."

Elena tilts her chin up. "I want to make a deal with you."

"What kind of deal?"

"You can pick Bella first…but you have to help everyone else, too. I don't want anything happening to them."

He pauses a beat. He could tell her that she's not in the position to make a deal, or he could let this unfold. "No harm will come to them." He holds out a hand. "Let me take you home."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_"He's gone?" _

_Jenna slams down the plastic bowls in the sink. "Yes, Damon. He's gone. Poof. I don't know anything else, okay?"_

_I roll my eyes at Elena's glare. She's trying to get me to shut up, but I have a bone to pick with her for leaving earlier…and I have questions. It's certainly not Isobel's sudden arrival that forced Alaric off the deep end to disappear into thin air. Perhaps it's John's arrival, or it has something to do with him. It can't be a coincidence that the town's most equipped and vampire-friendly vampire hunter goes missing approximately the same time that Katherine is helped out of the tomb. _

_"When did you see him last?" _

_Jenna turns to me, her eyes narrowed, tips of her ears red. _Oops_…_

_"Why don't you go ask his ex-wife? He's _your_ best friend. You should know better than me." She makes me smirk, looking very much like an angry kitten. _

_I shrug at her. Elena's glare fires up again, but I ignore her. Still trying to get over the fact that she'd left with Isobel of all people. I'm pretty sure Stefan would rather she leave with Elijah than her biological mother. _

_Jenna stomps upstairs, but not without shooting daggers at me. What is up with the women here glaring at me today? _

_I check my phone, hoping to see a message from Alaric. He'd been on a little curiosity journey where he was going to find information on Klaus, but he's gone missing before getting back to me. I'm not sure how to take that...and I'm hoping against all odds that he's safe, that the person he was searching on doesn't have him._

_I give a two finger wave to my remaining audience, making my way out of the Gilbert house. It's curious that Elena refuses to tell me anything of what Isobel said. It's even more curious that she came back perfectly fine. I have a suspicion that the mother-daughter time had some manipulations involved; there couldn't be another reason why Elena isn't angry right now. Last time she'd seen Isobel, she had gone ballistic. Something isn't quite right._

_But when I see you leaning back on _my_ recliner, your fingers delicately holding the worn copy of Pride and Prejudice, I forget about everything else momentarily. Just _feeling_ you is soothing to me; knowing that you're safe and in front of me is better intoxication than Bourbon. _

_"Damon, you're back." The sickly sweet voice makes me grind my teeth together. Moment ruined._

_"Katherine. I see you're still here."_

_"Where else would I be?" Her hand comes to flick at my shirt's collar; I move out of her reach. I know she's only here to find some type of information that would become useful to her, but I won't let her get into my mind anymore. She no longer has any hold over me. _

_"Rotting in a tomb." _

_"Are you still mad you weren't the one to free me?" Her red lips form a pout. I can see you smirking into the words. _

_There isn't a better way to insult than by using sarcasm. "Yes, of course. I'd put you there just to be the hero who would save a damsel in distress." I mock gape at her. "But you're not a damsel, are you, Katherine? You're the kind of person who'd throw their own kin to save your own skin, aren't you?"_

_She gives me a sour face, silencing. I sit beside you. _

_"You look happy."_

_"I am." The smile you give me brings a small one over my own lips. "I spoke to Carlisle after a very long time." _

_"How come you two don't communicate or he doesn't come and live with you and Charlie?"_

_You shrug at me. "He likes his solitude. He has better time concentrating on his research as well as giving as much time as he can to the patients without raising suspicion." You lean towards me, as if about to whisper a scandalous secret, eyes bright. "Personally, I think he's seeing someone special." _

_"How do you feel about that?"_

_"About him keeping his distance or his lady friend?"_

_"Both." _

_Your hand comes to rest on my cheek, your thumb rubbing in small circles. "I'm fine with the former, ecstatic over the latter. He's always craved his independence, so Charlie and I have no qualms. And I think it's wonderful he's seeing someone. It's amazing how love makes your mornings brighter and nights sweeter." _

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>Klaus is coming next chapter!<br>**

**Review if you'd like a cute Bella/Damon teaser! Previews will be sent out on Monday.  
><strong>


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to the wonderfully talented, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**; their sharp red pens make my writing pretty. Mistakes are all mine.****  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>We will stand together<br>Even through the darkest hour  
>When the night seems never-ending<br>We know there will be a dawn for us

When the world seems broken  
>Broken like the hearts within us<br>Destiny will guide us and we'll dare to raise our eyes to heaven  
>God will light our way<br>We shall win the day  
>We shall win the day...<p>

Then once again the glorious  
>We will emerge victorious<br>Until then hand in hand  
>We'll let history know that..<p>

We will stand together  
>Even in the darkest moment<br>Destiny will guide us and we'll dare to raise our eyes to heaven  
>History will say..<br>We shall win the day  
>We shall win the day<br>We will stand together... till then.

-Russell Watson

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Where _is_ Katherine?"

"Don't know, don't care."

"What if she is up to something?"

"It's Katherine. She is always up to something. Let's be glad she's leaving us alone at the moment, 'kay, Elena?"

She hesitates briefly before asking about Alaric; it's still a touchy subject with Damon. "Any news?"

"Nope."

"Did you—"

"Yes . I went to his house, checked at the school, _and_ at the University."

"Did you—"

"Yes, Elena. I called Vanessa. I called his cell phone. I all but fired off a text to the vampire community to keep a look out for the vampire hunter."

Elena sighs, exasperated. "What can we do?"

"Right now? Drink and wait for him to show up." Damon tilts his glass towards her, winking.

"Seriously?" Her tone goes a pitch higher.

Damon hums in response, going back to people watching. She in turn goes back to her table, avoiding Matt's questioning gaze and Jeremy's narrowed eyes. The only reason Damon is even here is because he wants to be able to listen in to what Elijah has to say to her. She'd avoided telling him anything about Isobel's answers or Elijah's comments; it's fair in her eyes as they—Bella, Stefan, and Damon—don't tell her anything, either.

She doesn't have to wait long as he slides into the seat opposite of hers. He looks much better without the stake hole in his coat jacket.

"Lucy was your backup plan?"

He shrugs, smiling charmingly. "She owes me."

"What did you save her from?"

"I saved her from becoming Klaus' puppet."

"Oh?"

"Yes. It's an interesting story. You should ask her sometime."

It's clear he won't say any more on that subject. It's a relief, too. It shows that he keeps his deals and conversations private.

"Why did you ask me to come here?"

"I wanted to ask you how you were."

"After the 'you're my daughter and I care about you' debacle? I'm perfect," she states with an over-the-top grin.

He hums, in that annoying way that clearly suggests he knows better, and that he's expecting her to elaborate, but she doesn't.

"Was that all?" She prompts.

"I wanted to tell you in person. I'll be out of town. Lucy will be staying, though."

"Where are you going? Why is she here?"

"I have something to arrange for the, er…upcoming event, so to say. Lucy is helping me; her intentions are pure."

"You're sure about that?"

He nods.

"Okay."

"I'll be back in a few days."

"Okay," she repeats. "What if Klaus shows up?" What a coincidence that'll be…

"Lucy will be at the dance tonight, watching. Take care of yourself," he says formally, not waiting for a response before he gets up and heads out.

Damon sighs from his position at the bar. They found nothing new.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Do you have to do that?" Bella cocks her head to the side, watching the dart pierce through John's eye.

Elena glares at him murderously.

"Oh, I do." He nods his head three times fast, almost giving the human in the room a headache.

Damon had rummaged through the old Gilbert family album, grabbing the first picture of John's he could; he had taped it to the board on the kitchen wall before aiming darts at the eyes. So far, John's picture looks like a pirate, with one eye missing because of so many pokes.

"How's this one?" Elena holds up a colorful dress, with different shapes of different shades all over it.

"Doesn't matter. You're not going as it is," Damon interrupts.

"I'm going, Damon. You can't stop me." It's the third time they'd had this conversation.

"Wanna bet?" He smiles at her, one side of his lips tilting higher than the other. His eyes crinkle adorably. He turns to Bella. "Let's play a game."

Bella swats as his hand wanders up her right side. "No," she declines. "You're a sore loser."

He mock gasps. "Am not."

"You are, and you know it."

"I resent that statement."

"Because you know it's true. The one with the belt looks good, Elena."

He turns to point at Elena. "You're still not going."

She throws her hands up in the air, her words firm, "I am going. I don't see why I can't; Stefan will be there, you'll be there, Bella will be there…"

"And Lucy and Bonnie, right?" He questions.

"Yeah, and them. Listen to me. I just want to enjoy my high school year just in case…"

"Just in case you die during the sacrifice? Yeah, that won't happen."

She steps closer to him, squeezing his bicep affectionately. "Even if I don't, I don't want to look back and remember that because of an impulsive, control freak of a vampire I couldn't go to my high school dance."

He looks at her, pursing his lips to one side in thought. "Fine…"

"I'm sensing a 'but'," Elena teases.

"But you're standing within one of our eye sights, okay?"

She nods. "Okay." She turns to Bella, the sense of security that had enveloped her during her moment with Damon dissipating. She still doesn't know what to make of her feelings, especially after Elijah's declaration of Bella having every intention to be a martyr. "Which dress?"

"I like the sexy hippie one."

"Sexy hippie it is."

Elena moves upstairs, leaving Damon to capture Bella's hands to pull her to play darts with him.

Bella's eyes move towards the stairs, and when she's certain that Elena isn't coming down, she lets her tongue peek out from the right side of her closed lips, closing one eye to get the target right. Her aim would've been perfect regardless, but she plays up the role just to carry on the feel that this game isn't as easy as it really is.

There are footsteps behind her, but she pulls her hand back, letting the dart go when she swings her hand forward, the velocity taking just seconds as the sharp point of it cuts through the air first and then the part of John's forehead, just between his eyebrows. She turns to Damon, her teeth white as she grins widely. She throws her arms up, whooping.

He only rolls his eyes at her antics.

A throat clearing rings out from the kitchen door.

Bella turns towards it and cocks an eyebrow at Jeremy.

"I'm insulted." He crosses his arms over his chest.

"You don't like your uncle," Damon states.

"I don't. Which is why I'm insulted that you didn't invite me to the party."

Bella hands the two remaining darts to Jeremy, winking at him. "Have fun. I'm going to go help Elena with her hair."

"You're going to the dance like that?" Jeremy looks pointedly at her sleeveless sheer blue top on top of a tank, tucked into the waist high skinny jeans.

Bella looks down defensively. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing." Damon snickers.

"Everything," Jeremy butts in. "It's a dance."

"And I'll be going as a chaperone."

"You still need to experience it!" He looks at Damon for support. "You should ask her to the dance."

"What?"

"Yeah…that's a great idea! You could have some fun." He looks like a child in a candy store.

"Are you smoking pot again?" Damon's lips turn downward.

Jeremy rolls his eyes. "Have you ever even taken her out on a date?"

Silence.

"Seriously, Damon?"

Damon's eyes widen a fraction as if he's never realized that fact. He'd been kidnapped by her before, but ever since that night…that initial night that their _relationship_ began, they'd never gone anywhere, never just the two of them. The feeling of being suffocated by all the things that have been happening, or will be happening made their actions much more desperate. They'd been so keen on spending as much time together as possible that they'd never valued the minutes and the small, sweet moments.

Jeremy slips away as Damon inches closer to Bella, his baby blue eyes darkening slightly. She finds herself unable to move, locked in his intense stare.

"Bella?"

She hums, her eyes trained on his lips.

His tongue peeks out, wetting his lower lip. He's close enough for her to smell his cologne, close enough to feel the warmth of his skin through their layers of clothes. He's standing just right, that if she were to tilt her head a little to the left and reach up a little, their lips would—

"Would you like to—"

"Bella?"

They startle, but don't pull apart.

"Can you help me with my hair?"

Bella turns towards the stairs, smiling. "Sure." She slips past Damon, letting her arm graze the length of his upper torso. "And Damon? I'd love to accompany you to the dance."

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"This…is boring."

Jeremy and Bella both look around, from the poorly dancing couples on the dance floor with 21th century moves, to Elena, Bonnie, Stefan, Damon, and Caroline standing around the drinks table, probably arguing about stopping the older Salvatore sibling from spiking it just for his amusement. Lucy stands off to the side, content to drink the punch.

"We should get this party started," Jeremy states, straightening his spine and formal button down shirt.

"Do you even know how to do a 60s dance?"

He grabs her hand, leaning back to smirk at Damon before pulling Bella to the dance floor. "No, but I know how to improvise."

She can't stop the laugh as the younger Gilbert grabs both of Bella's hands, pulling one of his arms back and then the other, shaking both of their shoulders. He grins at her, twirling her smoothly before pulling her back towards him. With her pencil thin heels, she's almost as tall as him. Laughing made her forget about the conversation he'd had with Bonnie the night before. The girl is adamant about putting herself through hell for her childhood friend, and while he wanted both his sister and his girlfriend safe, he couldn't side with either of them. Knowing the two of them, they would sacrifice themselves just for a two percent chance that someone would be saved.

He doesn't trust Elijah, nor Elena nor Bonnie…so he'll be talking to that one person he knows would understand his concern.

"Thank you, by the way."

"Whatever for?" He lets his hand rest on her waist, feeling a tiny hint of fear as he thinks of Damon's reaction, but the vampire is smiling. Not a big one, but the tiny, tiny one with just one side tilted up.

"For insisting that Damon ask me to the dance."

"My pleasure, Miss."

Bella's giggles are infectious, and he can't help but chuckle along with her. She's so easily amused.

He spins her again and just as she's coming back towards him, another arm snakes around her waist and her arm that is in the air finds its place around Damon's shoulders, her hand at the nape of his neck. Bella's light blue top contrasts with Damon's black button down nicely.

"Mind if I cut in?"

Jeremy shrugs, grinning at Bella before making his way towards the punch table.

"What's up?" He sides up to Bonnie.

"Eyes out, Alaric is back, and I'm pretty sure Damon slipped some Bourbon into the punch."

"Really? Then don't mind if I have some…"

Bonnie grabs his arm, and he takes advantage to pull her against his body. "No alcohol." The stern look she gives him makes him feel as if he's a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"On one condition. Dance with me."

"You wouldn't drink even if I didn't."

He pouts out his bottom lip. "You can't resist this face."

She belts out a laugh before taking the outstretched hand.

"Did Alaric give a reason for his disappearance?"

"Something about needing time away."

"And Damon took those words?"

"No, Damon ignored him completely, opting for the dance floor than chit chat." She grins up at him.

The music changes as soon as they reach closer to Damon and Bella. "Time Has Told Me" by Nick Drake softly plays out, and some of the couples on the dance floor leave, letting the others grab their partners closer.

A few minutes…for a few minutes, they can ignore the big elephant in the room. They can pretend that they're just high school kids who know how to have fun, skip class, and who can drink their parents under the table.

And they're content to present until Bella tenses up noticeable, her eyes moving to the entrance of the auditorium.

And it only takes one second for Damon to scramble, grabbing Bonnie and making a beeline for the hallway.

"What—" Jeremy's question goes unheard, and he rushes out after them, pausing briefly just to tell Matt to stay where he is.

Elena doesn't get much time as Lucy grabs her at the waist, keeping her aside as she watches her best friend, her boyfriend and his brother, and Bella rush away.

"Jeremy!" She yells out, trying to get out of Lucy's grasp just long enough to grab his sleeve. "You're not going anywhere!"

"Elena, I can't let Bonnie do this!"

Lucy struggles to keep them both in place. "Stop it, both of you!"

He slips through Elena's hand. "Jeremy! Jeremy, stop!" She tugs at Lucy's hands. "Let go!"

Invisible chains lock around Elena's middle and arms, binding her painfully against the lockers, her feet twenty inches above the floor.

Lucy's curled hair bounces on her shoulder as her head whips around rapidly. The formal red top she is wearing clings to her slightly damp skin—the only sign that the witch is nervous.

"Lucy…are you doing this?"

"Yes," she hisses. "You asked for it. Now shut up, I'm trying to keep an ear out."

Elena silences immediately. The chains on her loosen as she eases, still suspended in air, and her ears strain to hear things above the dull noise of music.

The door from the opposite end slams open. It's almost poetic…how the light is shining from behind the dark figure, drawing out the suspense. Elena breathes a sigh of relief to see Alaric.

"I've got it from here," he tells Lucy, and she leaves the same way the rest had run, as if understanding his silent statement.

"Can I get out of this now?" Elena yells after her, and a second later she crashes roughly to the floor, falling to her knees from the sudden freedom.

She rubs her wrists, muttering curses after the witch who has disappeared completely from her view. She turns to Alaric, tension racing through her every nerve.

"Jeremy went after them; we have to help!"

He grabs her arm, not roughly, but with determination, dragging her towards the opposite end of where Lucy went. The place where his fingers grip her begins to burn, as if the flesh is being set on fire, but she ignores it in her anxiety. She turns her head back at the empty hallway, as if expecting someone to step out and ask her for help, yet her feet move forward, or rather drag forward. She finds herself compliant with his firm action, unable to question his sudden turn of silent authority. She's worried about her brother, worried about Stefan and Damon and Bonnie, but this is Alaric… He is someone she knows and understands. He is _safety_.

Alaric pushes her into his classroom, clicking the lock behind.

Her brows come together, her nerves on alert. "Wha—?"

"Hello, Elena." The crisp English accent sets her on edge immediately. It's the ever so familiar accent that usually laces Bella's tone when the hybrid doesn't pay much attention to her wording. She can tell because of the way his tongue wraps around her name; it chills her down to her bones.

She backs away unintentionally. "Wh—Who are you?"

"Tsk, Elena. I expected you to be prepared for me. I was told you'd done extensive planning to eliminate my existence…and I come here to find no such fight." He mocks a sad face. "I am utmost disappointed."

She bumps into his desk, her fingers finding a pencil. She grips it tight in her hand.

"Elijah left a mediocre witch to watch over the precious doppelganger? How very naïve of him."

Elena's back straightens up. "He left because he knew we could handle ourselves."

"Oh?" He leans in closer, and she pulls back, her back brushing against the wooden desk to prevent from Klaus' front torso from coming any nearer. His nose grazes against her collarbone as he breathes in deeply. "Divine. I can't wait to taste you."

Her hand with the pencil comes forward, but he grabs it midair, twisting it without breaking a sweat as the pencil points towards her heart. She fights him with all the strength she can muster up, yet he remains stronger.

"It's okay, Elena. I wouldn't hurt a pretty little hair on your pretty little head…tonight. You're not my target."

"How did you know?" She asks through clenched teeth.

"About Bonnie's powers or your idiotic plan?"

She doesn't respond.

"See…you mother tried to use a bargaining chip with me. In order to leave you alone, she'd bring me Katherine. What she failed to realize was just how long I've been waiting for this. Do you know how many seasons have passed, how many decades, how many centuries that I've had to hide my very nature? Isobel always knows more than she lets on, but emotions make you rather unreceptive of those observations. She lost because of your little mother-daughter moment."

Elena's breath catches. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing major yet. She's just sitting alongside Katherine, making sure the previous doppelganger is punishing herself accordingly to the rules I've set."

"You're sick," she chokes out.

"If you wanted to outsmart me, you ought to have covered your tracks and kept the weaklings out. Katherine didn't last a second before spilling."

He halts, a sadistic smile spreading on his lips. Elena's mind is in turmoil; she's seeing the person that she'd come to believe as safe, someone she'd freely let into both her house and her life, yet it's not him. It's only Alaric's physical preservation. Still, seeing such a sadistic smile on Ric's face makes her shudder. She'd never be able to look at him the same again.

"How nice of you to join us, Bonnie." He blurs away instantly, grabbing the witch by her throat.

"Stop!" Elena screams, scrambling to her feet. "No!" Hands grab her around the waist, hauling her away and out of the room. She finds herself in the hallway, able to listen to the conversation inside, yet unable to do anything to help her best friend. The helplessness of her own lack of ability, mobility, and strength nearly kills her.

"Ah yes, your misconception about your ability to kill me, little one. I heard all about your new found powers, but you're still not strong enough," she hears Klaus murmur in a patronizing tone to Bonnie.

He's flung backwards, and Bonnie finds her balance on the floor. Elena watches from the window on the door in morbid fascination. Perhaps Bonnie would be able to win this fight…

The thought is lost immediately as Klaus taunts. He's flung in various places around the room, as if he were a rag doll before his hands grab Bonnie's neck. He slams her head back against the wall behind her, smirking as the sound resonates.

The lights around them flicker and the ceiling shakes, and just as soon as that had come, everything stills. Time, breaths, movement…everything ceases to be as Klaus falls to floor, to his knees, the expression on his—Alaric's—face contorts to one of confusion and alert and at the same time, of worry. Hands and arms slide against her, yet she feels nothing—it's almost like an out-of-body experience. It doesn't take long for Bonnie to fall to her knees, either, but instead of taking advantage of the situation, Klaus blurs towards the windows, shattering through the glass and disappearing.

Screams. She can hear screams, and it takes a moment to realize it's her. Tremors are going through her muscles; she's fighting against the strong arms around her, struggling to let go of. And finally, the arms are away, and she flings the door open ahead of Jeremy before falling painfully to her knees besides Bonnie, whose hair at the back of her head is covered in blood. There's blood by her nose, and blood on the side of her face.

No, no, no, no, no…

"Bonnie, wake up, Bonnie. Bonnie! Look, we won. He left, Bonnie. Come on, open your eyes, please." Her cheeks are wet.

"Elena…" Stefan's whispered plea falls on deaf ears.

"Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie," she chants, briefly aware of Jeremy's hands shaking the witch's shoulders.

Stefan manages to pull her to her feet, supporting her entire weight. Her mind catches up to what happened and her first emotion is anger. She turns angrily towards the sullen faces surrounding her. Her finger points accusing to Damon before it whirls towards Bella.

"You knew. You _knew_ this would happen and you still let her?" Elena doesn't wait for a response, nor does she look at the blood lacing the blue shirt across the Bella's stomach. "How could you? But of course you would! You don't care about anything or anyone besides yourself and your motive. You'd sacrifice anyone in your will to avenge for your sister's death, for what Klaus did to you, and for your miserable life! That's all you want, isn't it? Revenge. And you're willing to make a lamb out of everyone that I care about. Why won't you leave us alone, Bella? Why not leave and drag Klaus elsewhere so that you can finish him there? Or why not just let us die? He'd be so much easier to kill for you when the rest of us vulnerable humans and weak beings aren't becoming a hindrance to your all mighty plans."

Her chest heaves heavily, her emotions winding down a little as the tip of her nose burns. The sides of her eyes burn before her vision becomes blurry. Sympathetic looks…she's the one getting sympathetic looks, and Bella backs away slowly. Her expression isn't one of unkind, but it's carefully manipulated into nonchalance, into a mask. Damon doesn't reach out to her, but surprisingly, Caroline does.

Betrayal.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_My hand grabs Bonnie's arm, and she flails behind me awkwardly, for once not questioning as she hurries. The dance floor remains a distant memory even though it has been just two seconds since we've left it. We've got more concerning things to worry about.  
><em>

_"Keep Elena away," I whisper roughly to Lucy, feeling your presence beside me. You don't know how soothing it is to know that you're right here…you're right next to me. Not ahead of me, not behind me but right beside. It shows that we're on the same page, it shows that you wouldn't try to fool me and that you'll keep me in the loop. It's a weird analogy, but weird has always worked with us._

_"He is this way," Bonnie states, a shaky finger pointing towards the left side of the corridor. _

_You come to a stop, your brows coming together as your eyes dart the opposite direction. _

_I grab your arm. "What happened?" _

_You shake your head. "Nothing…I just thought—no, nothing." _

_Stefan moves beside us, his expression one of anxiousness. "Jeremy is coming this way."_

_"You stay, we can handle this," I tell him, reassuring when he insists. _

_Our feet pound against the linoleum floor, and as we get closer to our destination, I know what Bonnie meant previously. The presence that Bonnie and you had felt then…I can feel it, too. The door to one of the bigger rooms is shaking, not visible to the human eye, but I can notice small tremors moving through it. Energy…lots of energy._

_We inch closer. Just as I'm about to touch the doors to pull them open, the three of us are pushed back by an unseen force._

_Your eyes are wide. "That's not Klaus."_

_"How can you be so certain?" Bonnie questions, not unkindly. _

_"Can't you feel _that_? The power eluding from within the room isn't one of magical traces, but rather from a powerful being."_

_I know you'll take care of yourself, and knowing Emily, I know she won't let anything happen to you, either. I turn to Bonnie. "You'll be fine?"_

_"I didn't know you could be so caring, Damon."_

_I roll my eyes. _

_"Yeah, I'll be fine." _

_"And in case you're not?"_

_"Damon. I didn't question you when you pulled me away. Now I need you to trust me, okay?"_

_There's determination in her eyes that makes me believe what she needs me to. _

_"Wait," you murmur softly. Your back is turned to us and when you try to move away, you only get propelled backwards. "What is that?"_

_Bonnie moves forth, trying her hand, and silently a few spells, but it fails. _

_"Shit," you curse. It puts me on alert; you don't curse…not if you can help it. This is _serious_. "New plan. You two stay out here. Bonnie, I need you to open the door, and if you can, keep the other power contained. And when that barrier falls, I want you to find Elena. Klaus will be there." _

_Apprehension crosses Bonnie's face, but she doesn't question. _

_"Damon…I need you to keep your strength. I'm going to be feeding off of you in there." _

_"Feeding?"_

_"Energy wise."_

_"I could help you," I suggest firmly. _

_"No. This isn't the fight—this is a test. And once that person sees me, I won't be able to let him go out alive."_

_You murmur a few things to Bonnie, exchanging words that I can't recognize, except Emily's name. The tip of your index finger touches my skin, starting off as a cool sensation that soon turns into fire. As hard as I try, I can't keep a small sound from making its way up my throat because of the pain. _

_You look at me apologetically, but all I can think is asking you for a promise that you'll be safe and that you'll come back to _me_ safe. That would be completely unfair, though; it's not something that I can ask of you, nor something that you can give me. _

_You turn to the door, and before Bonnie uses her power, she gives me a look, almost as if she understands my train of thought. I can see her concentration and I can feel you pulling on me, but as soon as the doors fly open, it's only darkness. _

_Pain on my stomach, neck, head, legs…everywhere. There's nothing touching me, yet I can feel more slashes of pain cross my flesh. I can hear your grunts, and I can feel your pain, and all I worry about is finding a way to get to you. I grind my teeth together, puffing out air, using all my strength to get up. I fall back as a blow reaches my back. I force my eyes open against the burn and find fire in front of me. Standing above the fire, tied with ropes is Bonnie. Moving my eyes a little further is you, fighting with a guy with dark hair and snakebites. He manages to get in a blow, right below the chin. _

_I feel the pain in my jaw. Your eyes meet mine, dark with the fire reflecting in them. I know the instant your eyes narrow a little that this has pushed you over the edge. My being unconscious and unable to feel the pain kept your strength at bay, but this has opened Pandora's Box._

_I don't have time to watch as you grab his arms, twisting them behind his torso. I don't have the time to watch the surprise on his face as his powers to shorten. I don't know if it's Lucy, Bonnie, or Emily helping you, but I don't need to know right now; it can wait. I try to move towards Bonnie, but the flames grow taller, trying to lick at my clothes. I take my jacket off, slapping it at the fire, hoping that the leather will be able to fight against it. _

_The warlock in your arms struggles, but you pull his arms tighter, suspending them in the back. His scream of pain is almost satisfying._

_Lucy grabs my arm, pulling me out of the way before moving her hands over the fire, chanting under her breath. The fire goes away immediately. I snap the rope binding Bonnie to the tall stake before, grabbing her weight. I haul her out of there with Lucy following behind. You shut the door behind you, nodding once to Lucy and she murmurs some spells. I take one last look at the fire consuming the middle of the cafeteria, contained in an invisible circle._

_"Where are the rest?" Bonnie asks in a whisper, her head lulling backwards in my arms. _

_"Caroline and Stefan got distracted by another witch. She just kept them in one place, didn't harm them. Klaus has Elena, and Jeremy ran that way, too." _

_Bonnie's eyes pop open. "Why didn't you stop him?" _

_"He's a Gilbert. They don't listen to any type of logic or sensible explanation."_

_"Klaus can't see me yet," you murmur softly, a hand over your stomach. You're trying to look nonchalant about it, but I can see that it isn't healing as fast as it should be. You need to feed. _

_I don't need to question your motive. I nudge Bonnie's head very gently with my shoulder. "Can you take on the big, bad vampire?"_

_"I'm ready." _

_"No, you're not." Lucy's lips pull back. _

_"I am. I just need…" _

_Lucy brings her hand to Bonnie's temple, and the latter immediately gains a handle on herself. She looks down at her body laying awkward in my arms as I walk, and then up at me. She can't scramble fast enough away from me._

_Stefan reaches Alaric's room the same time as us. He passes a concerned look at Bella before trying to hurry into the classroom. She grabs his arm to stop him. _

_"Bonnie needs to do this," she whispers._

_He looks torn, but he sighs, stepping away. _

_"What kept you guys held up?" He asks curiously. _

_"Klaus distracted us by magically tying Bonnie to a stake and trying to burn her alive." _

_He blinks back at me. _

_"Ancient humor," I add._

* * *

><p><strong>Did I deliver? Chapter is over 2000 words longer than usual, show me some love to heal my tired fingers? I need those huggles right about now. :) Previews go out on Tuesday.<br>**

**Solace is now a multi-chapter story if you'd like to check it out. Damaged Damon who finds solace in Bella-an experiment with all human characters. **


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to the wonderfully talented, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**; their sharp red pens make my writing pretty. Mistakes are all mine.****  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Turn my back to the door<br>Feel so much better now  
>Don't even try anymore<br>Nothing left to lose  
>There's a voice that's in the air<br>Saying don't look back nowhere  
>There's a voice that's always there<p>

And I'll never be quite the same as I was before this  
>Part of you still remains, though it's out of focus<br>You're just somewhere that I've been  
>And I won't go back again<br>You're just somewhere that I've been

No more words in my mouth  
>Nothing left to figure out<br>I don't think I'll ever undo  
>The scar tissue<p>

That's the way I feel tonight  
>I can't just press delete<br>Expect the world to make it right  
>I know that no can do<br>Got to let the pain just hurt  
>Try to live and let it burn<br>Follow, watch the world keep turning

Breathing in, breathing out  
>Ain't that what it's all about?<br>Living life crazy loud  
>Like a girl's supposed to<p>

-Kerli  
>.<p>

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Would you like…" Bella trails off before extending her wrist. While Bonnie declines with her nose scrunched up, it's the thought that counts. She touches the back of her head, feeling the sealed wound; it's hurting just a pinch after Lucy's healing spell. The sound of her head hitting the wall and the feeling of utter pain remains clear in her conscious, though. She can see Klaus' face in her mind, the twisted smile on his face, his soft voice unlike him and only serving to make his statements wicked. And to see him in _Alaric's_ body…it made it even more sadistic. Klaus clearly had experience in torturing people; he hit them right where he knew it would hurt the most. They weren't prepared for it—they weren't prepared to attack one of their _own_, except he no longer was their own.

Questions remain in all of their heads. Would Alaric be okay? Is he alive? How did Klaus do it? She doesn't know what to do, what to feel, mainly because her confidence from before has waned. She had thought she could take on Klaus with the added power of two witches, but it wasn't enough. Klaus' lone warlock was too much for them, he had more power than Bonnie and Lucy combined.

_But he's gone now, _a voice rings in her head.

That makes no difference. What's to say that Klaus doesn't already have a replacement? A more powerful one, perhaps? They have no way of being completely sure, no way of being completely prepared.

Bonnie grabs the herbs, pinching them between her fingers to grind them into a powder-like-mixture. She spreads the powder—containing jewelweed, cattail, lonicera japonica, and lindera benzoin—onto a sliced-down-the-middle Aleo Vera plant. The strip oozes a clear gooey substance that makes Bonnie cringe. She endures it however, hoping it heals Bella's pale and flawless skin.

The wound is unlike anything she has ever seen before. Because of Bella's nature, the split skin is trying to close, but the magic that is still intact from Klaus' witch keeps her from healing. The sight of the muscles and tissues and veins makes Bonnie sick to her stomach. She carries on anyway. She has to, especially after seeing Elena's mental health and having a glaring insight into Bella and Damon's relationship. She still doesn't understand it, but she finally sees what only Stefan did before.

The way the two move solidifies their feelings that are never spoken; watching the two of them move earlier was as if Bonnie was watching a synchronized dance. They didn't need any words, or explanations; their trust in each other was whole. No rough patches. It was when Bella had bonded to Damon for energy that she realized the hybrid's predicament. To love someone so much, but willing to sacrifice for another being isn't being a martyr, at least not in Bonnie's eyes. It's a sacrifice, a big one. And yet extremely courageous. She has gained a whole new level of respect for Bella.

She lays the thin, wide plant on the hybrid's wound, hoping that the heat from the water pouch will help ease the pain of having her stomach split open over and over.

"How come you weren't at the dance?" She questions Angela, who is sitting near Bella's feet while reading through her grimoire. She hasn't found any healing spell that would actually work so far, neither of them has.

"Damon told me to stay home," Angela explains.

"Why?" If Angela had been there, Bonnie wouldn't have had to take on Klaus alone, nor would Bella have the wound.

"Secret weapon," Damon states from the front door. "Can I come in?"

Even if Bonnie has now understood _them_, it doesn't mean that she understands Damon. She could allow Bella into her house because she knows the hybrid will respect the boundaries, but Damon? He has no sense of the meaning private space or self-control from invasion.

"No."

"Bonnie…" His tone is exasperated.

"No."

"I just want to talk to her."

"You can do that from the porch, too."

He sighs, irritated. "Bella?"

"I'm fine, Damon." Bonnie doesn't react as Bella carefully masks her expression before turning to give him a reassuring smile. She watches as Damon's brows come together.

"Don't lie, Bambi."

Bonnie is taken aback with his use of the term of endearment. It sounds like one, at least, but she's not sure. Whatever it is, it makes Bella sigh.

"It hurts like hell."

Damon's hand presses against the door frame, his fingers clenching hard enough to leave an imprint. It sends a pang of jealousy through her; to have someone worry and react like that…

"If I let you in, will you stop trying to demolish my house?"

He rolls his eyes. She takes it as an agreement.

"Come in, Damon. And you are not allowed again after tonight without permission."

He moves slower than she expected. He leans his weight onto his left leg, sticking his right one inside as if trying to find the catch. He's acting the exact opposite of what she suspects. He's not rushing to Bella's side, nor is he panicking like she was earlier about the split open skin. He's slow, his eyes running over her form, from her head to her toes. He tilts his head a little to the side, inspecting the wound. He lets one of his hands touch her cheek, but only to run his thumb over her bottom lip.

"Puncture from the glass," Bella murmurs softly in explanation.

Damon hums, sitting on the table in front of the sofa. He's almost being considerate. It doesn't sit right with Bonnie; it's so odd to see him in such a quiet manner. She's used to the sarcastic Damon, not sweet Damon.

She watches the two of them while wiping the table clear of the plants and herbs, putting them in places out of sight. Her father knows about her heritage, but that doesn't mean he's exactly comfortable with it; quite the opposite, actually. Bonnie often wonders if her dad could, would he leave her, too? She likes to keep her witch "stuff" out of his eye sight to make him a little more comfortable when he does get home from work.

Damon catches her eye. He nods stealthily towards the back door, motioning for her to join him. She makes her way after him, pausing briefly to watch Angela pick up a different book. She hopes with all her might that the grimoires she took from Jonas and Luka don't catch her attention from behind the bookcase.

She walks past her stairway and then the money plant draped back door. Different types of plants and herbs are planted there, still growing even though she's refused to water them after her Grams died. Her backyard is filled with color, from light purple to dark red.

Damon sticks one of his hands in his jeans pocket, letting the other flutter over the flowers.

He's the first to break the silence. "Yesterday proved that Jonas and Luka's magic isn't enough."

"What are you getting at?"

"I found something interesting in Jonathan Gilbert's journals." Bonnie's ears perk up. "When witches are burned at the stake, their magic stays contained within the land."

"So I can—"

"Yup." He pops his lips at the 'p'. "I have more witch mojo for you to inhale."

"You know where it happened?"

He scoffs. "Emily wasn't the only one burned. There were more witches with her that were put into that fire, and I just happen to know exactly where the massacre—for the lack of a better word—site is."

"I can gain all their magic." She doesn't phrase it as a question, but rather a statement.

"Uh-huh." He nods. "Shall we go?"

"But we need a plan," Bonnie insists.

"I have a plan: get there and get you juiced up and ready for Klaus."

"You think they'll just give me their magic?"

"Witches help each other. I'm sure those witches will see your desperation to save your friend and your precious town."

"Damon, I need a spell to get that done. I have to find the spell, and I might need help."

"I have the spell, and you have Angela."

Bonnie makes a sour face.

"Or Lucy. Your choice," he offers none too kindly.

"Isn't Lucy too busy with doing whatever Elijah assigned her to?"

"You mean cloaking Bella? She can handle both things. She's on my speed dial."

She looks around, from the patio swing that's near breaking and the plants, trying to distract herself from looking into Damon's hypnotizing and persuasive baby blue eyes. She has to admit, his knowledge about the previous history is amazing, but she doesn't fully trust him. She figures that he'd do everything he can to keep both Bella and Elena safe. This isn't the time to second guess each other; they can't afford to do that with the limited time they have.

"Alright, but no one else will know about this."

"Define 'no one else' because I'm pretty sure Bella has heard you already."

"Not Jeremy, not Elena…"

"I wasn't planning on it."

He turns back towards the door, expecting him to follow.

"Damon? Why do you call her Bella now?"

He turns his head sideways, not exactly looking at her but letting her know that she has his attention. "What do you mean?"

"I've only ever heard you call her Isabella. What changed now?"

He hesitates in answering, and he's visibly reluctant to. "Elijah's quite fond of calling her Isabella."

Bonnie can't help the smirk that lifts up her lips. Today is a day full of surprises.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Are you sure this is it?"

"Yes, Sally Owens, I'm one hundred percent sure this is the place."

Bonnie looks at Bella sympathetically. "You should be resting," she scolds.

"If I stayed home, who would keep Damon alive from the wrath of all those witches?"

"Good point."

"You're hilarious." He points to Bonnie. "Go do your voodoo."

She leads the way, with the two following behind her slowly. Bella's moving slower than usual, biting her lip often to stop the sound of discomfort escaping her as her skin splits every minute. Damon walks next to her, his arm hovering near her as if to catch her if she loses her footing.

Bonnie watches as the washed down white house comes nearer. The windows are darkened, unable to provide a vision of the inside of the house. The wood is chipped in various places, especially the black door's frame. She touches the doorknob hesitantly, getting startled as it sends sharp tingles up her arm and down her spine. She breathes in deeply, feeling a sense of dread and comfort seep through her every pore. It almost makes her want to shake her head and run back to the safety of her house.

She steps inside before she can convince herself this is a bad idea.

Warmth.

Home.

…Emily.

Damon lets out a grunt from behind her, the smell and the sound of the sizzling from the burning on his skin reaches her.

"I don't think they want you here."

"I am fine," Bella wonders, looking up to give Damon a cheeky grin.

"Emily," Bonnie explains.

"I'll wait outside."

"You poor baby. Need company?" Bella asks before smirking when one side of Damon's top lip lifts up to show his sharp teeth.

_Like a lion…_

"I can entertain myself. Go," he replies.

Bonnie steps forward, her eyes scanning the broken down house. The inside is rusty, falling apart at every nook, and empty, yet it appears lively to her. Her eyes travel to the strange yellow glow being emitted from the basement. She follows towards it.

Damon leans against the tree in the shade, closing his aching eyes. His uses his thumb and index finger to rub his eyeballs gently. Bella couldn't sleep last night, and in result, he wasn't able to, either. Elena's words resonated through his ears; he hadn't even so much as looked at her in the morning before he'd left the house. The only questions he's left with are in regards to the reason for Elena's strange behavior. The last few days, she hadn't been the girl he'd gotten to know. The kind, understanding personality had left a bitter mess behind; what lead to it? What caused such anger towards Bella?

"Bonnie?"

"Hm?" The witch turns towards Bella, her gaze questioning.

"Do you remember when Emily and you had linked to free Stefan?"

"Yes."

"I lied." Bonnie halts in her steps halfway down the stairs. The basement is dark, and she blinks her eyes rapidly to help make sense of what's happening.

"About?"

"Jonas was helping me transpire the magic. It wasn't Emily."

It only proves her suspicion, but it doesn't feel as satisfying knowing she was right as she had expected.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"If we're going to work together, there shouldn't be lies amongst us."

Bonnie stops herself from belting out a response in fear about the wrong timing. She remains silent, nonchalant even though her heart is pounding in her chest and she knows Bella can hear.

The hybrid admitted she'd lied, but it doesn't do any good. She should've told her in the first place…hell, she shouldn't have lied at all!

"Why did you?"

"Because I needed you to trust me, and I didn't see any other way."

"You could've talked to me."

"You wouldn't listen."

Her foot touches the floor of the basement. It's dusty and covered in cobwebs, with candles littered on every surface of the walls.

"This is it."

"You know the spell?"

"Damon drilled it into my memory permanently."

Bonnie sits down in the middle of the room cross legged. She closes her eyes, chanting the spell in her head to raise the candles from their places on the dirty shelves to around her, in almost a star type of shape. They don't light up at her first try; maybe it's because of Bella's confession or she's not focused enough. She concentrates all of her energy on lighting them up, leaving behind all her stress and worry and problems at the brink of reality before slipping away. She can feel a link start at the center of her heart that evolves into something stronger, reaching beyond the world that she knows.

Hours pass by or perhaps days…

There are weird whispers in her mind, more than five distinctive voices. Her expression contorts to pain as the voices grow in volume abruptly before leaving behind silence and a pounding headache.

_Balance the nature…only then can you have what you desire._

Emily. Or her Grams. She doesn't know.

Nature? Balance it how? She mentally groans in irritation as her mind comes up blank with the possibilities as to what she needs to do. There's never an easy way with her ancestors; always puzzles and riddles that leave her vulnerable to other's attacks before she can gain her footing on the ground.

"_Emily?"_ She thinks, her voice echoing in her head. _"Grams? I need help. Please, I don't know what to do. I don't know what they want." _

"_Bella."_ The voice flutters through her, chilling her completely.

"_What about Bella? Please—Please, I need to know!" _

"_Set it right. Set the course of nature right, Bonnie." _

Tremors…shaking everywhere as if it's an earthquake. Images flash through her mind, first of houses and then of faceless corpses. A human body, or a witch, and then a vampire with protruding veins around his body and a stake in his heart. His bronze hair shines against the darkness, his mouth open, and his green eyes wide.

Horror etched onto his face.

The image changes to Elena, a wicked smile on her face. Bonnie watches with eyes closed as Elena exchanges words with dark-skinned woman. She watches as the woman bows down slightly, running away as Katherine turns back to the corpse of the vampire. Her expression changes, veins growing around her eyes and fangs descending from her teeth.

Katherine.

The human next to the dead vampire…curly brown hair, hunched back.

Bella.

"_You will always lose, Bella…always,"_ Katherine whispers.

Bonnie's eyes pop open wide. Bella's comforting hand is on her shoulder, her eyes worried.

"What's wrong?"

Even in her shaken state, she tries her best to filter out the painful memories. "They—they said I need to ba—balance the nature. Something about you."

Bella's eyes move to the floor, sighing softly. When she lifts them, they're a dull brown rather than the vibrant brown she'd gotten used to.

"You know, don't you? You know what I have to do."

"I do."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I wanted a few more minutes."

"For?"

"To say goodbye."

Bonnie's head snaps towards the hybrid. Goodbye? The witches couldn't possibly be asking her to kill Bella, could they? She's the one who has to save Elena; she's the only one who knows what Klaus looks like.

"What do you mean?" The witch is afraid of the answer.

"I'm not supposed to exist, Bonnie. I was supposed to die so that the curse could be gone and out of Klaus' reach."

"But you didn't…"

"No, I didn't."

"They want me to kill you?"

Bella shakes her head. "They want you to make Damon's feelings for me go away."

"What? Why?"

"It's because his life was altered the most. Stefan and Elena gained a new friend, but the course of their lives didn't change. Damon's feelings for Elena should've developed. That's what should've happened. I disturb the balance every time I get involved in someone's life."

"But you were married. And Charlie…"

"Charlie and Carlisle were forgiven as they don't harm humans. And Katherine killed Edward as a favor to the witches, and to debt her into helping cloak her from Klaus."

"But…I can't do it. No, I won't." Wasn't it just yesterday and earlier today that she'd observed the two and how their relationship worked? Wasn't it just today that she saw a whole new side to Damon that—she reluctantly admits—she likes.

Bella smiles sadly, a small one. Her face has gone pale, her cheeks losing the sweet pink color that Bonnie remembers as permanent.

"No." She shakes her head. "No, I won't."

"Don't you want to save Elena?"

"How will this help anyone?" She cries out.

"You'll be able to help Elena through this," Bella replies softly. Her tone is almost soothing. She's the one about to lose everything, so shouldn't Bonnie be comforting her? "You will have the power to destroy the amulet that holds her captive."

The hybrid's admittance of lying seems like a distant memory, no longer important as far as Bonnie's trust goes. She no longer needs a magical proof to tell her that Bella is loyal to saving Elena.

She feels Bella's fingers wiping at her cheeks, not realizing that tears had leaked from her eyes.

She takes a few moments before breathing in deeply. "How do I do it?"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"I don't see why you're taking her side," Elena cries out. "She lied to you!"

Bonnie doesn't respond, clenching her teeth together. She could think up some very colorful words right now to respond to Elena, but it would only lead to strained relationships, something they definitely don't need right now.

"Lay down," she mutters.

Elena does as she's told, anger coursing through her. Caroline had already started taking Bella's side and now Bonnie too?

The spell to set everything right had been simple enough; five words to murmur, but those five words weigh down heavily on Bonnie's shoulders. She can remember the despondent feeling of pulling apart two people that she felt belonged together, two people who brought out the nature that remained dormant otherwise. She remembered looking outside the window from beside the door inside of the house as Bella spent a few short seconds before the spell worked its poison. She saw when Damon's entire form changed, as if the loss of his feelings staggered and altered him physically. She saw when Bella crumbled on the inside, yet her spine remained stiff. And then she saw nothing. She had no courage to look up at her work; no courage to meet eyes with the person she took everything away from. She couldn't look at Bella knowing that because of her, the hybrid was left with empty hands once again.

Always her. Always Bella. And Bonnie finally understood _her_.

Bonnie takes her place behind Elena's head, putting her fingers to the human's temples. It is just the two of them inside Stefan's room, as Elena had preferred. She mashes her eyes shut together, concentrating on the dark space inside of Elena's mind. She probes further, trying to search for a way to expel the ancient witch's presence. Soon, the black gives way to a dark blue color, and then silver, as if prompting her to understand the subtle message.

Elena lets out a scream as fire erupts from Bonnie's fingertips. Or maybe it's the other way around; the heat is heading from the human's skin into hers. She can't pull her hands away, nor open her eyes.

She can feel Elena's body shaking. Hands grab at her wrists, pulling away, but she chants the spell in her head continuously. More screams—different ones—join Elena's, yet her eyes remain closed to the outside world. Her feet lift from the ground, suspending her in air, and she feels Elena move with her effortlessly.

The heat from her hands courses through the rest of her torso before she crashes to the floor, hearing glass and wood break around her.

She lays unconscious.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_It feels odd walking up the stairs. It looks different, smells different, but I can't put my finger on what's changed. _

_Things are still a bit blurry from before; all I remember is seeing you walking towards me and then finding myself at the house. Bonnie won't look at me for some reason, but I'm used to her behavior to me. _

"_What are you doing?" _

_You stop from pulling your clothes away from my closet. "Packing…"_

"_Why?"_

_You give me a strange look. _

"_You can leave them in here. I mean, Lucy is still cloaking you. What if Klaus—or Alaric—came looking? He's still invited in." _

_You shrug, the top falling from your hands. It's then that I notice a dark burn on your inner wrist. I grab your arm, feeling a sharp tingle move up my limb. I shake it off. _

"_What happened?"_

"_Oh, uh, Elena's necklace. The spell rebounded." _

"_Meaning?"_

"_The Original witch played a trick. Instead of a possession freeing spell, she wanted to send Elena through a death spell." _

_My throat tightens and heat spreads through my chest. "Is she…?"_

"_She's fine." _

_"Out of danger?"_

_"Out of Ester's reach, yes."_

_You pull your arm back, walking away from me. I follow instinctively. _

"_Bella?"_

_You stop, but don't turn. This behavior is so odd for you. I remember you being sarcastic, loud, and free-spoken, yet today…you're so quiet. I want to ask what's wrong, but something is holding me back. I feel as if you won't tell me regardless. Maybe it's just me that you're behaving this way with. I try to think back to what exactly it is I did to lead to this, but it's fuzzy. _

"_Thank you." _

_And when you walk away, that tug I feel has nothing to do with Elena's safety. I don't even know what it is._

* * *

><p><strong>TRUST ME!<br>**

**This story has been planned this way since the beginning.**

**What did you think about the VD episode yesterday?**

_Leave me your thoughts. Previews will be sent out in two days._


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to the wonderfully talented, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**; their sharp red pens make my writing pretty. Mistakes are all mine.****  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>There is this indescribable feeling of tightening around her throat and chest. The last few days have been the worst she's ever seen; it's where she's been dragging her feet, going to bed at night hoping that the next day would bring a bright shine that would alleviate the darkness that had fallen like a blanket over all of them. Her wishes remained futile, though; the sadness stretched and stretched across them, binding everyone into a circle that they hoped to escape. The circle of friends that she'd once gotten so much support from have all nearly deteriorated, either from blaming her or dealing with their own guilt from playing their parts within the current situation.<p>

Elena sags underneath the guilt. There was once a time when she'd carried the weight of the negative emotions on her shoulders, the time where she would give up her own life just for her friends, and now she finds out about her behavior for the last few days from Stefan. She can't be any more ashamed of it than she already is. It's impossible. She's a complete wreck.

She keeps her eyes trained on her hands; she can't face Stefan, nor Bonnie, and certainly not Bella. Damon's acting a bit weird, and she finds herself missing the sweet moments she remembers witnessing at the odd moments.

And when she looks at Bella, and observes the noticeable darkness underneath the hybrid's eyes from the lack of sleep and the lack of feeding, she wants to break down. Her bottom lip trembles, but she bites down onto it to keep anyone else in the room from detecting it. She can hear her own voice inside her head, bitter and angry and cynical. Who had she become? Bonnie's explanation about Esther remained a dark memory.

Why was the Original witch after Bella? Wasn't it enough that the hybrid had to live with the curse for over a thousand years, yearning to let go of the pain? Elena pungently relives back the moments when she'd put herself before Bella. She shakes her head, her fingers rubbing at the temples to focus on the discussion at hand. Now is not the time for self-pity. There would be plenty of moments to kick herself on the back after they figured out how to tell Jenna that her shaky relationship with her semi-boyfriend is going to take a downfall…as they didn't know if Alaric is still alive or not. They're hoping he remains without harm, but with Klaus having the vampire hunter in his possession, they know the best would be to be ready for the worse if—God forbid—Alaric turns up dead.

"She's a big girl; she can handle it," Damon puffs out.

Jeremy shakes his head, his jaw locked. "I don't think she'll even let Elena or me out of the house if she found out."

"But we have to tell her. It's not safe for her to not know right now. What if Alaric shows up at the house? She wouldn't even be able to protect herself," Bonnie insists.

"She wouldn't be able to regardless; he's already been invited in, and he can easily overpower her." Elena's surprised to hear her own voice. She'd remained so quiet this entire week that she'd nearly forgotten what her voice sounds like. The room quiets instantly, and the feeling at the pit of Elena's stomach of guilt worsens. She knows it's not their intention to make her feel that way, but the helplessness and the part she played only serves to make her want to crawl into a hole in the ground. Her hands go to her neck, as if looking for that chain of support, but finding her necklace no longer against her flesh, that barrier leaves her more than vulnerable.

"She can stay here," Stefan offers.

"I think you should too, Elena." Damon's eyes are darker today than usual. She averts her eyes immediately. There was a moment in the beginning when she thought she would've liked the time he's giving her, but every part of her loathes it. Maybe it's because her entire being realizes that it's not real…or maybe it's because she knows the attention belongs solely to Bella, even if Damon doesn't remember. The memory plays a small part where love is concerned; he's lost his memory about Bella, but that doesn't mean he's entirely lost his feelings. Elena observes as his knee bounces closer and closer to Bella, even as the hybrid scoots away. She catches Damon's furrowed brows; his confusion makes her want to confess to everything, to tell him the truth. The guilt would certainly go away, but Klaus wouldn't.

There hasn't been a time when she wanted to be a scapegoat so bad. She's always believed that nothing good will come out of giving someone pain…and Bella is in pain because of her, even if the hybrid is an expert at hiding the small winces.

Damon's statement makes Bonnie shoot up, a wild look in her eyes. With her hair bouncing with the strength of her feet, she moves towards the front door after muttering a lame excuse. Elena follows after, her chest tightening.

She grabs Bonnie's elbow, halting her steps as the house door slams shut.

The witch doesn't as much as look at Elena. The awkwardness only increases with her words, "I have to go."

"I know you're mad at me, Bonnie, and I understand; it's completely justified. I don't know what I can do to make this better, if I ever can. But you can't ignore me like this. I've been trying to call you for the last four days, and you haven't even looked me in the eyes or said a single word."

"I need some time, Elena." Bonnie sighs.

"How much more?" she asks desperately.

"I don't know."

"I don't even understand why this had to happen."

Bonnie's hair flails around her and her head shakes slowly. "Because she's not supposed to exist. If she hadn't come into our lives, your life, you would've been half in love with Damon! And he would've been head over heels with you. Don't tell me your feelings for him have gone away. They haven't, have they? And Damon's forgotten all about the woman he's loved for you. The witches are happy…of course they are."

"Try stepping into my shoes for a minute and see how I feel," she pleads shakily.

Bonnie's head snaps up. "No, Elena. You try stepping into _my_ shoes and _feel_ the turmoil that I'm going through. Can you imagine how much it hurts to see that I'm the reason that Bella has yet again become all alone?"

Elena shakes her head vehemently. "You're not the reason—"

"Yes I am."

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Her bottom lip quivers delicately.

Bonnie's eyes harden. She wants to put Elena's fears to rest and console her best friend, but there's another haunting image that is etched into her memory. She can't forget it no matter how much she wants to. "I saw Bella when I was trying to separate the power of that necklace from you, I saw the night Katherine killed Edward. I _felt_ her pain, her heart break, and I even felt her rage as she went on a rampage against all the invisible killers and rapists during that time. But Elena…above all of that, the look on Katherine's face and her stance…with the way you have been acting towards Bella, I could easily see _you_ in her place."

Ouch. The witch couldn't have hurt Elena more than in a worse way even if she tried. She can feel Bonnie's feelings radiating off of her skin, and she accounts for the way she has behaved, but to be compared to Katherine and what she'd done to Bella? It hits Elena hard enough to make her stagger to the ground. Her legs turn wobbly and before she knows it, she's on the floor, the cloth of her jeans burning harshly at the sudden friction.

She stares at Bonnie's disappearing figure. She doesn't know what to do next; however, she won't be following the witch. She needs time, and Elena will give that to her; it's the least she can do. She slowly gets up, her knees weak, and stares at the Salvatore Boarding house. She doesn't want to go in.

Everyone's already known everything that Bonnie said and Elena's worst fears would come true if the rest believed the same about her. She wipes angrily at her cheeks. She's not Katherine. She never was, and never will be. And she'll prove it, too.

A hand grasps her shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"You hate me, too, don't you?"

"I could never hate you, Elena," Jeremy mumbles.

She sags against him. "I have to fix this."

"There's nothing to be fixed, though. We just have to watch how all of this plays out."

"There's always a way."

"You've already got a plan, don't you?" He watches as Elena's expression turns calculating.

"I've got to go." She turns back to him, her eyes pleading. "Please don't tell anyone."

"Hey." He grabs her arm, just around the elbow. "I'm coming with."

"It's too dangerous, Jer."

"If it's too dangerous for me, it's too dangerous for you, too."

"You're not coming with."

His fingers tighten against her flesh. "Then I'm going to walk back in there and tell everyone about this 'dangerous' plan of yours. And with how on edge everyone is, they'll have no problem asking Bonnie to barricade you in our living room forcefully."

She glares at him briefly.

He shows her his teeth cheekily. "So…where are we going?"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"This is a suicide mission," Jeremy whisper-yells out through his clenched teeth. "Go back. Now."

Elena steps out of the car fast, before Jeremy can grab her arm. She'd seen Klaus leave with a woman just minutes ago from a block down, his staggering gait and weird combination of brown and blonde locks different than other Mystic Falls residents. She's never seen how Klaus looks, but he's the one who came out of Alaric's apartment and he—along with the woman—were the only two she'd never seen before. She'd slowly crept her car closer and closer slowly, hoping and praying nonstop that Klaus wouldn't smell her. She'd only left now to go into Alaric's apartment because she'd seen Katherine's face peek out from the still white curtains.

Jeremy follows behind closely, his voice trying to urge her to go back to the safety of her car. But she can't, not until she proves how much she regrets her behavior. She'd make it right.

The door to Alaric's apartment flies open. Shock displays on the siblings' faces as Katherine greets them in a blue halter top with jeans, one side soaked in blood at the thigh area.

"I always thought you to be a bit dim, Elena, but to walk right into the lion's den? With your younger brother no less? How stupid can you be?"

Elena's eyes narrow. "I thought he was punishing you."

"He doesn't control me."

"You're repelling his compulsion?"

"No, she has vervain in her system," a weak voice mutters. Katherine smirks towards Elena, moving aside so that Isobel can be seen, bruises around her wrists appearing and disappearing right in front of their eyes. "He has another witch…"

"Why are you two here?"

"We're here for Alaric," Elena breathes out, trying to get over the image of seeing her birth mother in such an injured state.

Katherine disappears from view, and when she comes back, she's dragging Alaric's unconscious form by his leg. She tosses him out as if he were a small fruit, not even flinching as his head bounces off the wall opposite of him.

"Now get out."

"What does Klaus know?"

Jeremy struggles to get Alaric down the stairs and into the car without injuring him, as Elena remains rooted in her spot.

"Better question would be what he doesn't know."

Her heart skips a beat. "What did you tell him?"

Katherine's voice goes scandalously low. "I steered clear of the person you're thinking of, but I'm running out of vervain, Elena. You might want to bring by a supply to keep your little dirty secret quiet."

"Why don't you just run?"

The vampire rolls her eyes, a look of utter boredom and disgust crossing her face. She presses her hands against an invisible barrier from the insider, the skin on her palms pressing in. "Bloody witches and their little spells."

"Don't come again, Elena. It isn't safe," Isobel warns from the inside.

Katherine raises one eyebrow and shrugs her shoulders. "If you wanna take the chance…"

Elena's hand goes to her neck once again, looking for the locket, but finds nothing. Jeremy comes up behind her, and she spots the bracelet around his wrist.

It isn't hard to convince Jeremy to give the vervain from the small locket attached to his chain. He can't hightail it out of there fast enough with Elena in tow. Had she resisted a second more, he would've picked her up and ran. It isn't that he fears Klaus, but more towards the fact that he didn't want his sister in danger.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"Stupidest thing you've ever done to date," Damon sneers out, one side of his lips tilting up in irritation. He does that thing with his eyes where he widens them hypnotically.

"It got us Alaric back, didn't it?"

"He would've walked back in anyway."

"And it ensured Bella's invisibility to Klaus."

A weird expression crosses his face. "I'll give you that one, though I'm sure she can kick ass without the element of surprise on her side."

"Doesn't hurt to be too careful," Elena mutters out.

Damon falls back against the Gilbert's brown sofa, putting his hand behind his head, his elbows extended.

"Shouldn't we be worrying about why he's not coming to his senses?"

His eyes move to Alaric's still form, lips pursing tightly. "He'll come around."

"Is that your solution to everything? To wait until death happens?"

"Pretty much." With sudden speed, he moves to Elena, so close that she can smell spearmint on his breath. "You're still alive, so I'm doing something right. It helps to be thankful once in a while."

"I never asked for you—anyone—to protect me. I never wanted you to!"

He lets out a deep breath through his teeth. "It's wonderful to hear how appreciative you are." He stalks past her, bumping his shoulder roughly against her side. He throws the door open and marches past Stefan, calling out behind him sarcastically, "I'm gonna go do something selfish so that if I die, it won't be because I was trying to save Elena. Have fun with the Auntie."

It takes just one glance from Stefan for him to know that Elena's about to break. His arms wrap around her tightly. She clutches his shirt in her hands, her face buried in his chest. His fingers run through her hair soothingly, and they don't pull apart when the front door opens again.

"Everything okay?" Jeremy asks.

"Mmhmm."

He narrows his eyes a tiny bit, not believing a word. "Did Damon get mad at you for your stupid move of going to Alaric's apartment even with the risk of Klaus hanging over?"

Elena's glare answers his question.

"We've all been thinking it." Jeremy shrugs.

"Seriously?" She pouts. All she'd wanted to do was prove that she was on their side... She only wanted to help. Everyone was on edge, not only from Klaus's impending sacrifice, but also because of Elena's amnesia-or blackouts, or possession. They don't even now anymore.

And they wouldn't know about her health until Charlie returns to conduct one of his experiments, as Elena refuses to go to the local hospital in fear they'll deem her mental. They'd been waiting for him for over two days, along with Elijah, but both hadn't shown up. In a way, Elena is a little thankful. Carol and Liz had come to the Salvatore house unexpectedly, and while Elijah had already introduced himself to the council, Charlie preferred to remain in contact with the least number of people possible. Elena vaguely recalls his excuse of germs or something, a notion practically ridiculous for a vampire.

Jeremy informs her that he's here to offer some support as they tell Jenna the truth...about everything.

"We're Gilberts. We stick together," he tells her. Her anger dissipates, and she temporarily let's go of Stefan to hug him tightly.

"Do you want me to stay?" Stefan asks quietly.

"Please." It's not only the support that she needs from him, but also to help fill in the blanks. The atmosphere doesn't feel as constructing with Stefan around. They put Alaric in Jenna's room, hoping that he gains consciousness soon. They wait nervously, hands and legs twitching, for Jenna to come home.

When the door knob rattles, Jeremy jumps to his feet and hightails it upstairs, not even caring that Jenna catches a look at him flailing just before his door smashes shut.

Elena's jaw drops open. "So much for support," she whispers to herself. She can't blame him; she doesn't want to be here exactly. Poor Jenna is going to be so hurt...and mad.

"What's wrong with him?" her aunt questions, laying her book bag and folders on the table by the door.

"Jenna..." Elena begins in a strained voice. "Can we talk?"

The older woman looks between the two teens, her eyes widening considerably. "Please tell me you're not pregnant."

"What?"

"You don't think I can hear Stefan in your room at night?" Her voice goes a pitch higher. "Oh, my god. I'm the worst guardian ever. I can't believe you got pregnant at seventeen, Elena!" She puts one hand to her forehead feeling faint. The ceiling spins.

Stefan hurries to being her to the couch as Elena remains in shock.

"It's not what you thi-"

Jenna slaps him in the arm with the back of her hand. "Leave."

"But-"

"Go. I need to talk to Elena."

Stefan glances at his girlfriend desperately, and at her nod, leaves slowly, as it Jenna would stop him any moment. She doesn't.

Jeremy's head pops out from over the barrier at the top of the stairs. He takes a look at Jenna's hunched form, her hands covering her face. "Did you tell her?"

His aunt turns to him, and her expression makes the hair at the back of his neck rise.

"You knew." It's not phased as a question.

"Uh, yeah..."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

A guilty look crosses his face. "We wanted to keep you away from it all and keep you safe. That's all, really."

"What about Elena? Didn't you want to keep her safe, too?"

"I did! I do! That's why the rest of us-Bonnie, Bella, Damon, Caroline-are all trying to come up with a plan."

Jenna pauses briefly, her eyes dulling a bit. "Am I the last to find out? Gee, Elena. I'm glad you can come to me with your troubles."

Jeremy shakes his head furiously, trying to salvage e situation. "No, Matt doesn't know."

"I can understand why Elena wouldn't want to tell him. Maybe if she were still with him, she wouldn't be in this mess."

Jeremy shrugs in agreement. After all, if Elena still had been with Matt, she wouldn't have caught the attention from the supernatural beings. Or at least she would've been safe until Katherine had come along to offer his sister up in a silver platter to Klaus just to save her own vampire behind in exchange for eternity. Or until the rest of the vampire race found out about her. He reaches the conclusion that Elena perhaps is more safe with vampires that care to protect her. It's what he tells himself repeatedly.

Elena doesn't know whether to laugh, cry, or die of embarrassment. In the last ten minutes, her aunt had covered the topic of knowing about Stefan often staying the night with her and that she would've been safer had she still been dating Matt. Poor, oblivious Matt.

"Oh god..." Jenna mutters. "I can't believe you're pregnant."

Jeremy's head snaps up. "Hold up. Elena's pregnant?" He turns to his sister, bewildered. "I thought we were going to give Jenna the news about the supernatural, not that you'd be telling the two of us that you're pregnant..." She can see the wheels in his mind turning. "But vampires can't reproduce. How's that possible?"

"I'm not pregnant," she yells in a whisper, as if saying it any louder would cause the neighbors to peek through their curtains. The pink in her cheeks moves to the tips of her ears.

"Then why did you greet me that way?"

"What?" His voice is lost on the two women.

"We have serious news-and it's not about a baby. I'm not pregnant, jut to clear that up."

Jenna breathes a sigh of relief.

"But vampires are real."

The older woman cocks up one of her eyebrows. "This is a prank, isn't it? First give me a heart attack with news of pregnancy and then ease it with nonsense."

Jeremy shakes his head. "No, we're serious. Vamps. Fangs and all."

"Really. They do exist, as do witches and werewolves, and hybrids, and trolls too probably. Damon, Stefan, and Caroline are vampires, and Bonnie is a witch, and Bella is a hybrid, and Alaric is a vampire hunter, and Tyler is a werewolf..."

Jenna rolls her eyes as the front door opens once again, and Caroline's blonde head peeks in.

"I heard something about a baby."

Elena brushes it off. She stalks over to her friend grabbing her hand to pull her in front of Jenna. "She won't believe us that vampires are real."

"Can you demonstrate?" Jeremy requests.

The blonde grins wickedly, looking at Jenna as veins slowly protrude around her reddening eyes and fangs descend from her upper teeth.

Jenna loses consciousness this time.

Jeremy barely glances at her before turning to his anxious sister. "I can't believe she thought you were pregnant."

She slaps him on the back of his head. "It's because you bailed."

He howls with laughter.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

_Jack Daniels Whiskey seems to be my only solace nowadays. My bed feels empty, the room looks wrong, and the house seems different. I can no longer sleep peacefully in the middle of my king size bed. Even if I can, I always wake up in the right side, as if I am saving room for someone else. The nights seem endless, lasting forever, and my mind doesn't offer me any peace. I struggle against an invisible barrier to unlock the door to remove the haze, but the throbbing at my temples increase, prompting me to let go and preventing me from succeeding. And I go back to square one._

_I observe Bonnie. Every time I kick on the mental wall. She flinches, I'm certain after a few times of witnessing that she's the reason for it. She refuses to answer any of my questions though, even when I manage to corner her alone._

_She refuses to meet my eyes._

_In an interesting turnoff events, I've realized that my house has now become an open, public, free hotel for every vampire in town. Elijah has shown his face again-conveniently after we escaped Klaus and his witch-right after Charlie._

_It's amusing to see the two of them together. Charlie sees the man that saved his little girl's life, and Elijah sees the man that replaced him in your life. Elijah's aloof manner makes Charlie suspicious._

_"How can he be trusted?" Charlie asks in retribution to Elijah's mistrusting gaze._

_"She's like a daughter to me, I would never harm her." Its the first time he's mentioned it to anyone but me._

_"Father figure?" Bonnie questions curiously with her hands folded neatly on her lap._

_"Hey! Position's taken!" Charlie yells, stepping in front of you. His right eye twitches furiously._

_Stefan enters the living room slowly, his hands extended in front of him in peace offering. "What's happening?"_

_I turn to him, the neck of the whiskey bottle gripped tightly in my hand. "I'm moving out."_

_I try not to feel the way the pang in my cheat, opting to tune it out with alcohol. What's the worse that would happen downstairs anyway? Elijah will just glare and Charlie might just conduct a dangerous experiment on the Original vampire that could cure cancer. Or develop a new level of Diet pills._

_Old men..._

* * *

><p><strong>To the anon reviewer: I wish you had logged in so we could talk. Life is about falling and getting up with scrapes and growing. Hurt in relationships make them stronger. This story had been planned to go this route since the first chapter. I'm sorry if you feel this story is not worth reading, but I won't waste your, nor my, time trying too hard to explain my reasoning. <strong>

**To those who are still with this story: thank you. Your support and trust in me means the world.**

**Previews for reviewers. **


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to the wonderfully talented, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**; their sharp red pens make my writing pretty. Mistakes are all mine.****  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>"The sacrifice happens today."<p>

It's the first thing Alaric says, and it's enough to cause more of an uproar than Elena's impulsive move to rescue the vampire hunter. And it's only downward from there. Bonnie's migraine makes an appearance, causing her to nearly faint, after which Stefan advices Angela to help. She manages to forge a connection between herself and the younger witch, but they learn soon after that it's not the most stellar idea. Now every flinch that Bonnie makes mirrors on Angela's face; they not only share the powers of a hundred witches, but also the burden of such magnitude.

Bella has been a nervous tick, because the full moon is when her powers as a vampire are lessened, and she is not so used to the strength of a werewolf.

Damon is on the phone calming Liz as the Sheriff sits in the hospital next to Carol's mangled body.

On top of it all, Jeremy has locked himself in the house, refusing to come out regardless of what lie they tell, regardless of whose life they say is in danger. It doesn't sit well with any of them, but with Damon's insistence that it may keep him safe, they let him be.

Caroline's bottom lip trembles as she sits, hugging her knees.

Damon hangs up and eyes her. "Shouldn't you be happy that Tyler's coming back home?"

"Let's not forget Jason will be accompanying him as well." Stefan: always the voice of reason.

Caroline snarls at Damon, "I'm not uncouth as to enjoy a joy received from somebody else's pain."

He rolls his eyes. "I like seeing the bright side of things; sue me."

Caroline jumps to her feet, extending her hands around the room to point at everyone. "Yeah? What's the bright side in this situation?"

"We've got two witches, one that Klaus has no idea about. And we have this little vampire-werewolf hybrid that is stronger and cannot be killed." He swings his arm around Bella's shoulder, pulling her into him. There is a brief moment of a tingle that passes through him, and the smaller of the two uses that moment of distraction to slip away.

It hurts to feel his hands on her skin, in the way that was previously so intimate, yet mean nothing more than just casual to him now. The grief licks at her flesh, making her chest tighten.

Elena brings out two cups of tea, one for Angela and one for Bonnie. The former accepts it graciously, but the latter refuses to meet her best friend's eyes, at least until Bella plops down beside her and nudges her a little with her shoulder.

They'd had a talk a few days prior, only because Bella didn't see how they could defeat Klaus if they couldn't even talk to Elena. And in her eyes, none of it was Elena's fault. It was Esther's and Klaus', and just the situations that forced their hands in certain directions.

_"You need to keep by her side. She wasn't in control of her emotions and her mindset. You shouldn't be too mad at her," she'd told the witch._

"I'm going to go see Carol," Caroline states, retreating towards the door. It shuts after her with a loud bang.

Stefan leans forward so that his elbows rest on his knees. "Who would do that to Carol?"

"Klaus," Damon answers immediately.

"But why?" Elena questions.

"Because he needs a vampire, a werewolf, and the doppelganger to complete his ritual. If he's going to do the sacrifice tonight, he'll need Tyler around."

Bonnie jumps to her feet. "Why are you so calm about this?"

"I have a plan, little one," he snarks.

Elena glances around at the room. The last few days had gotten a bit better in regards to how the rest responded to her presence. Their edgy behavior could've been because they weren't sure if Esther's presence in her mind has expelled completely and permanently, and they were just being cautious. It's what she's trying to convince herself of, but she's unsure of what to believe now. Angela is as pleasant as ever, as if nothing had happened at all. Caroline, Jeremy, and Stefan have come to terms with things and have put it in the past, as has Bella—who doesn't see the bad Elena has done and moves forward. Bonnie is the only one who still avoids her whenever possible.

Elena has been good—she tells herself that she's given enough time to Bonnie to decide whether or not she wants to forgive her. There's nothing more she can do that would help the witch make her choice, and she refuses to pressure her best friend into doing something that could cause the ground beneath all of their feet to tremble and crack.

Now she knows what Damon had meant all those months ago. Elena never did accept him truly as a friend, always wanting to change him, and condemning him for what he had done. She can feel the weight of the judgment on her shoulders, and she suddenly wishes that she'd never done so toward Damon so harshly. It is both saddening and maddening that time is so limited and that it cannot be manipulated. Will they all have enough time to heal and grieve and seal the wounds or will they have to live with the burden if—fate forbid—something goes seriously amiss tonight?

Any type of jealously Elena had towards Bella has dissipated, and has manifested into guilt. All she wants to do is apologize until her own conscience is freed from her very being.

"Your plan won't work," a quiet voice murmurs from the corner seat. Alaric looks up, his face downcast and forlorn. No amount of reassuring will rid him of his guilt, even if it wasn't exactly _he_ who had nearly given Bonnie a serious concussion.

"Why not, Jekyll?" Charlie pips up, taking a moment from glaring at Elijah. "You haven't even heard it."

"He killed Luka and Jonas as a warning to his brother to stay away. You think he'll pay you any consideration if he didn't to Elijah? He has a backup plan for his backup plan."

"Then we thwart them all," Damon comments.

"How?"

"We stay one step ahead of him. Let him capture Tyler and his vampire and then we free them."

"Why not just keep Tyler safe in the first place?" Bonnie questions.

"Who else is going to hear the rest of Klaus's battle plan?"

The witch rolls her eyes but smiles to let Damon know she's with the plan. After all, what other plan of attack do they have? Perhaps they just need to take the chance; it's only a few hours left until everything they'd feared comes to a close. And her confidence is high too; she wouldn't let anything happen to her friends if she can help it.

Bonnie gathers the few grimoires that are scattered across the coffee table as Damon lays out their plan, and after knowing about her part in the play, she gestures for Angela to follow. They move to the third floor.

Angela's room has changed…but hasn't. Bonnie is finding it hard to see what's really different. There are books on the floor, as if they were thrown by a force more than a woman is capable of with human abilities. There are metal pins and candles all over the floor, and it immediately puts Bonnie on alert.

Something had happened.

"Is everything okay?" she questions, looking up at the brunette with concern.

She nods, smiling reassuringly. "Yeah; I was just looking up something to help Bella with…"

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Damon and Stefan both leave the house, the former to the hospital and the latter to talk to John and Isobel. If Elena's parents won't help, the least they can do is keep away from causing more trouble. There is also necessary equipment they need. They won't be going down without a fight. Bella follows closely behind, fidgeting, and clutching a box filled with small, glass vials and vervain.

Alaric rubs his temples, his eyes sliding close. The throbbing in his head is getting worse as hours pass and his stress increases. His body is still feeling constricted, a constant reminder of how he'd spent the majority of nearly three days trapped inside a glass bottle, one that belonged to the powerful warlock Klaus had apparently 'hired'.

"You don't really have any business here." Alaric hears Charlie mutter out to Elijah.

"I am doing what I have been for all of her vampire life."

"As I was for the last three centuries!"

"I do believe—by my calculations—that I have been doing so longer and successfully, I might add."

"Please. I could've done better."

"Oh? Like letting her come to Mystic Falls behind the doppelganger?"

"Don't you dare!" Charlie thunders. "I don't believe in stopping what she wants to do just because it might hurt me!"

"So you'd thrust her in front of Death just because she's being stubborn?"

"And that's where we differ. You think you know what's best for her, while I support her. Why do you think she's stayed with me all these centuries?"

Alaric tunes them out as one of them dissolve into huffs.

The atmosphere—despite the little outburst from the two father figures—is too calm for what they're expecting. It feels like the calm before the storm, but there's one raging around the house already, brewing inside of everyone. He's the oldest in this little group—age wise, not considering the repeat years for the vampires. The way everyone is cautious around Elena makes him feel the loss of the war already; they want to win, and for that, they would have to come to terms with what happened and move on. It's the only way.

So he texts everyone but Damon and Stefan, calling an emergency meeting in the living room and sits up, groaning. This is just as necessary as the preparations.

"Carol's fine; she's improving a little too fast," Caroline states as soon as she enters. "I think Damon might have something to do with that."

"He likes Carol enough to?" Alaric questions.

She shrugs, rolling her eyes.

The door opens, hinges crackling a bit. "What happened?"

"Nothing, Jeremy. Sit down," Alaric instructs. He watches silently as others crawl into the room, questioning in similar manner. He stands while the rest sit, his eyes closing tightly to press away the pain. "There's something we need to do. You realize what our strength was when we went up against Isobel? How about Elijah? I never thought I'd be able to look at Isobel without..." he pauses, gathering himself, "breaking, for the lack of a better word. But Damon was there, with this Bourbon and sarcastic comments that had the underlying concern. We'd never have been able to trust him had it not been for our equal trust in each other and Bella. Not one of us tried to go behind another's back because of what they believed to be common good. We need to work out whatever this is here. If we don't have trust between us now, we've already lost the fight, guys."

He nods firmly, sitting down next to Elena. She gives him an appreciative look, knowing that talking about his past and his feelings is the last thing he wants to do.

Bella glances around, and when no one makes a move, she clears her throat to gain attention, fidgeting with the hem of her long sleeve cuff. "I've known family, in the sense of having a father, and I've known family in the sense of having a husband, but one filled with so much love and friends…this is the first during my entire life on earth that I have been able to really see what makes people smile, I guess. I've never understood why people would want to live longer than their destined years." She lets out a small laugh, looking down at her feet. She wiggles her toes a little, gathering her words. "But it's the love and family and friends and the roots that they set down. You guys believed in me and took me in, even if you were wary of me, and gave me the knowledge of why flying isn't everything; that setting roots down can mean something."

She hadn't meant to say anything, but with the hours looming closer, there has been a need bubbling inside of her. Better said than to leave it unknown.

Elena moves closer to her on the sofa, grasping her hand. "And I'm really sorry for the part I played in everything. I wish I had been strong enough to fight against Esther, but all I remember is darkness. I didn't even know what was happening to me, or when, but maybe if I had told someone about them, things could've gone differently. And maybe you and Damon would be together."

"You can't fight against magic. Especially from the original witch," Angela comments lightly.

Caroline opts to stay silent, pulling in everyone close to her into a hug. She's always been the talkative one of the group, so her actions prove to be more defining in her thought.

Elena turns to Bonnie. "There's nothing more I can do. I wish you could forgive me, or I wish I could do something to prove that I really am myself, and I feel _so_ bad for acting the way I did. But you have to believe me when I say that I didn't know what was happening. I would _never_ do that to Bella, or Stefan."

Bonnie stays silent for a moment, her eyes calculating. "And I'm sorry for judging you. I let my guilt get the better of me and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have done that."

A small grin breaks across Elena's lips, and she refrains from throwing herself into Bonnie's lap to hug her.

Alaric lets out a satisfied sigh from his side of the couch, leaning back against the head rest to close his eyes.

"You know," Bella starts, her voice almost as low as a whisper in his ear, "you could use some vampire blood. I think it's a brain aneurism that's causing the pain."

"Like what Bonnie gives to Damon?"

"Yeah, but he's a vampire, so he heals. Yours need to be treated."

"I should be fine," he insists, but a wince causes his expression to turn sour. "Will you or…?"

"You should ask Damon. Today's the full moon, so my werewolf side is more dominant tonight."

"I meant to ask you about that. How are you going to handle tonight?"

"I'll be fine. I don't have my music with me, though." She pouts.

"How does music help?"

"My hearing lessens during this day of every month; I can still hear more than a human would, but not as good as a vampire's. Loud music makes me feel less…foreign in my own body."

"Bella?" Stefan calls out from the front door. His head is the only thing peeking in. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Bella squeezes Alaric's shoulder before heading out. Stefan opens the passenger side of Damon's car.

"He's letting you touch it?"

"No, but he owes me. I figure he can't be too mad." He gives her a boyish grin.

"Where are we going?"

"Anywhere."

She gives him a questioning look.

"I'm taking you out on a drive. With loud music, the top down, and an endlessly straight road."

"Are we going to be dancing while you put on cruise control?" she teases.

"You're kidding, right." He gives her a strange look. "This car is as old as Damon; it requires manual operation…just like his heart."

She gives him a small smile, playing along with his distraction motive. They peel out of the driveway, leaving behind a black smudge on the ground and smoke.

He stays silent until they're well enough out of Mystic Falls, and she lets him be. Even though she's not reading his mind, she knows the turmoil he must be feeling. The girl he loves is being threatened to be sacrificed in just a few hours, and the only person who will successfully save her is the girl that his brother is in love with.

The feel of the warmth of the sun on her skin and the air through her unbound hair is refreshing. She didn't realize just how long she'd been craving to get out of the house instead of looking through books and talking strategies with Elijah.

"When are we telling him?"

"Not today."

"Why not?" he prompts, "Don't you want him to remember everything?"

"Not when the cost is Elena's life."

"How so?"

"The witches gave Bonnie the power on the condition that the natural balance is set right; they can easily take it back."

His hands grip the steering wheel tightly. "How does this sacrifice happen? Either Elena dies or you do?"

"Well, that's one way to phrase it. Klaus is going to be most vulnerable at the time of the sacrifice, when his werewolf side will become equally dominant with his vampire side. You'll have Elijah with the dagger and Bonnie and Angela with their powers. Damon will handle it fine; you grab Elena and get of there. Simple as that."

"And leave you there, dead. Yeah, very simple." His voice is rough. She's almost touched at the way he seems to care for her.

"It's either me or Elena. And you know that you won't survive without her." He avoids her eyes, concentrating on the road even though it's only dried glass on either side of them, and not a life in sight. "Damon is strong; he'll move on in a few years." Her voice is strong, as if she's trying to convince herself rather than him. She remembers how she'd behaved after Edward's death; it had taken her too long to move on, and only when Damon came into her life did she truly let go of her former husband. Does she dare let her heart hope that another woman comes along soon after for Damon?

"I have no right to ask of you to do anything for me…and I know it's not fair for you…"

His hand reaches over to squeeze hers. "Anything."

"Can you promise that you'll take care of Damon?"

"I promise."

.

.

.

.

As they pull into the driveway of the boarding house, the glass from Damon's room breaks and the aforementioned person is lying besides his car on the floor, the front shirt unbuttoned. Blood soaks the back. He silently turns his back to Bella, and she takes out the glass pieces that have pierced his skin.

"What did you do?" she questions, suspicion lacing her voice.

"I might've given Elena my blood."

Stefan's hand shoots out to press the glasses pieces further into Damon's flesh, just before he blurs inside to check on Elena.

"That was stupid."

"Why?"

"Because now the elixir Elijah has won't work."

"You actually believe that the 500 year old potion will work?"

"It had a high chance."

"Well, my blood has a hundred percent chance that she'll come back."

"You love her that much?" Her chest hurts just thinking about it.

Damon pauses, his mind triggering blurry moments of intimate moments. "Stefan does." It's not the answer both of them had expected, each for a different reason. "Thanks…" Damon looks dazed as he walks away, not even commenting on the fact that his brother had taken his car without permission.

Bella follows after Stefan in a slower pace, trying to clear her head. She knows Klaus's tactics well; she'd need to use them to her advantage tonight, and a cluttered mind would do them all no good. She finds Stefan asking Elena as Bonnie stands by, worried. Her thumbs wriggle together and unknot. At least one good thing came out of it; when bad came to worse, they would be the support system everyone would need.

"Let's just go from here. Let's run away," Stefan pleads. There's a new desperation in his voice. "We'll go somewhere, anywhere and hide from Klaus until we find a way to kill him some other way."

"We have a way, and we have a plan," Elena insists.

"One that we're not sure will work out. Please, let's just leave."

"You know we can't, Stefan."

He hangs his head, sighing and resigning.

Elena's phone beeps. "Alaric just texted for Stefan to meet up at my house," she informs with her brows furrowed.

"I'll go right now. Will you be okay?"

"I'll stay with her," Bella offers.

Stefan smiles at her, and squeezes her arm as he passes by.

"I'll get back to Angela." Bonnie leaves.

"I don't feel like staying inside," Elena murmurs softly. She's fidgeting, her fingers tapping at her leg. "Can we go outside? Just for a little bit? It's suffocating in here."

A breath of the fresh air feels like cold water being poured on Elena's heated skin. Her blood is rushing through her ears, her heartbeat fast. "I don't want to become a vampire," she whispers, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Bella wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling the slightly taller girl into her. "And you won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because I won't let that happen."

"I'm scared."

"Nothing will happen to you," Bella coos.

"That's not it. I'm afraid of the sacrifice thing, but what about you? What if something happens to you? I'll never be able to face Damon again." Elena's bottom lip quivers.

"Nothing will happen."

"Is that a promise?"

Bella answers without hesitation. "I promise that you will be okay."

Elena opens her mouth to protest, but doesn't after seeing the look on Bella's face, she stays quiet. "What if I come back as a vampire?"

"Then you'll have Stefan, Damon, and Caroline to help you through it."

"What about the bloodlust? What if I can't control it?"

"You're strong, Elena. More than you know. You'll survive it. And focus on the good. You'll have your best friend by your side, and you'll get to spend an eternity with Stefan. There's the world to see; you'll get to experience it the way that humans yearn to. You'll be able to live in a different state, a different city for the rest of your life; you'll meet people that will make a difference, and there will be people that you will make a difference on. Life is about learning; the more you see, the more people you meet, the more you grow."

She takes the hybrid's words to her heart. "I don't want to lose my humanity."

"You won't. That's only thing I can make sure of." Bella lets go of Elena, bending down to take her anklet off. The blue lapis lazuli stones glare vibrantly in the sunlight. "A sweet friend made this anklet for me; it's been bewitched to keep one's . . . sanity—for the lack of a better word—intact. It'll help you." She drops it into one of Elena's hand.

"I can't…"

"For me?"

"Why did you need it?"

"Every time I came back from being 'dead,' I had to discipline myself all over again. Killing me was a big time back in the 1400s, when the witch populace grew." Her tone is teasing, but her voice is serious as ever.

As Elena's fingers wrap around the anklet, her mind wraps around a thought; Bella isn't planning on coming back. Or at least, she doesn't see herself surviving this ordeal. It saddens her all over again, a new bout of tears threatening to fall over her already wet cheeks.

They make their way back into the boarding house, a heavy weight falling on both of their shoulders. Bella excuses herself to the room next to Damon's closing the door softly. Elena curls up on the footstool in front of the hallway window on the second floor, watching the sun fade away into a dark hue, letting the moonlight be the only guide. She watches as a figure nears the house, its pale skin standing out against the darkness of the forest behind him.

He beckons with one finger to her. She goes through the plan in her mind. She knocks twice on Angela's door to alert both witches before willingly going outside to meet her ultimate fate.

.

.

.

.

_I fold my arms over my chest, watching as Elena's front door opens and Stefan steps in. _

_"Tell me something didn't go wrong," he states. _

_"Something didn't go wrong," I respond. _

_Alaric rolls his eyes from the opposite side of the room. "Good news or bad news first?"_

_"Good news."_

_"John is willing to go with us to a safe house if we let him talk to Angela for a few minutes." _

_"And the bad?"_

_"Jeremy's not in his room."_

_I watch as Stefan blurs upstairs, and back down just as fast. "He hasn't been here since this morning, has he?"_

_"Stupid witches. They can be very crafty when they need to be." The smirk on my face doesn't leave. _

_"This isn't funny, Damon." Stefan growls towards me, his fist clenching and unclenching with passing minute. _

_"He's gone; so we'll find him, like always. Poor kid probably just needed a break. Let's take care of one problem first, shall we? We have only three hours left until midnight." _

_Stefan's face falls, his eyes downcast. "That means Elena's gone." _

_"By the way, since you did bring up that topic, can I just say that this is the most idiotic plan I've ever heard? Letting her go with Klaus without a fight?"_

_"It's the only one we have." _

_"Somebody go get Angela, please?" Alaric butts in. _

_"Wait," I interrupt. "How does John even know about Angela?"_

_"We don't have time to speculate." _

_I shrug. It's an important question. What if John has told Katherine about Angela and the news has reached Klaus? I brush it off. If they don't want to talk about it, I won't force it on them. _

_"Damon, will you grab Angela or do you want to go look for Jeremy?"_

_"I'll get Angela. Jeremy will want to come to the site Klaus has chosen, and I won't persuade him otherwise." _

_I don't wait for a response, grabbing my cell phone off of the table. I scroll through my contacts, my finger hovering over your number briefly before I call Liz to let her know I'd be patrolling the forest. I doubt it'll be any help to us if she or her deputies were to walk amidst the ritual Klaus is trying to carry out. _

_As I hang up, your name stays on my mind. I know I've talked to you a lot. You know me well, and vice versa, but when I try to remember the moments when we've communicated, it's only blurry. _

_The weird fuzz has left me more than a little agitated. It's a barrier that I can't seem to get across. _

_Bonnie eyes me suspiciously when I ask Angela to accompany me. I don't tell her about Jeremy; Elena needs to be her focus tonight. _

_ "Let me get this straight. Elena's biological father wants to talk to me?"_

_"Mmhm."_

_"Why?"_

_"That's what you're going to find out and tell me."_

_She shrugs, walking slowly. _

_"We'll get there sooner if you'd just let me carry you." My tone isn't the most pleasant. _

_She narrows her eyes at me for a few seconds, and then jumps onto my back. I bend over at the waist at the sudden, uninformed attack. _

_She's quiet the entire run. I can practically feel the wheels turning in her head. _

_Just as I let her down, she whispers, "I'm sorry." Before I can turn around to question her, her hands grasp my neck, her fingers pressing in. Shocks and bouts of seizures run down my spine, and I can feel my flesh withering in pain. It's blinding pain, starting at the back of my spine and heading up to my brain. It feels like there are hands and things that are pulling apart my head and putting it back together, only to repeat the process a hundred times. _

_I fall to my knees, gasping for breath as the pain takes over to the tips of my fingers. My toes curl in at the sharp blows. _

_Veins protrude around my eyes and my fangs descend; I can feel them scrape my bottom lip. I want to bite at my own skin just to feel something other than this internal pain. Everything's dark; there's not one thing I can see. _

_I drift in and out of consciousness. I can briefly feel hands that pull me up and take me somewhere, but I can't identify with any of it. _

_I can't stop the darkness from taking me._

* * *

><p><strong>Stay with me. I promise to make it all better. :) (If you'd like to know whether this story has a happy ending, ask away in a review.)<br>**

**Previews for reviewers. **


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to the wonderfully talented, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**; their sharp red pens make my writing pretty. Mistakes are all mine.****  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Shove me under you again<br>I can't wait for this to end  
>Sober, empty in the head<br>I know I can never win  
>Why should I have to wait<br>I'll just look the other way

We left this land of shiny lights  
>I wish I may, I wish I might<br>When all these dreams have come to end  
>You wish you were, you're not my friend<p>

I can see you suffocate  
>I can find no other way<br>Try to make you saturate  
>I can be your enemy<br>Why should I have to wait  
>I'll just look the other way<p>

You said you'd love  
>To see the end<br>The long hard road  
>That I have been<br>When all these dreams have come to end  
>You wish you were, you're not my friend<br>Blind eyes shine bright

- I Wish I May, Breaking Benjamin

* * *

><p><strong><em><span>READ<span>_: Damon's point of view is in _italics_, as always, and in that section, the parts that are NOT _italicized _are flashbacks. Hope this clears the confusion.**

* * *

><p>Her legs are burning with exhaustion as she runs, the wind causing her limp hair to flail around her head. She grasps at the strands, pushing them away. She wants to stop and fall to her knees, but she doesn't have time. She has to get away before they realize what she's done, how she's betrayed them.<p>

She'd just left the Gilbert house, after talking to John. She'd moved Damon to the back porch, praying that someone had found him and that no one is following her.

"You didn't have a choice," she consoles herself. Her voice comes out in a pathetic whimper. Regardless of what she says, she's unable to convince herself and ease the sharp tugs at her heart.

Images of Bella laughing and showing her the world through her mind in means of teaching geography, helping her learn about the rest of the subjects, and hugging her tightly in either gratitude or comfort flick through her mind. It takes all she has to not break down and cry.

Branches hit her skin more than once, and she's sure that there are wounds around her face and her arms to prove it. She doesn't pay much mind to it as she wills her legs to move faster.

She has to save _them_.

They are her first priority. _Always_.

She finds the cave entrance amidst the rocks behind the Mystic Falls. The sprinkles of cold water would feel soothing on her overheated skin had her mind given her a moment to enjoy one of the most memorable sceneries in the small town.

Her eyes are red, glistening with unshed tears, and her bottom lip is quivering. Mud from the soggy floor has traveled up her jean cuffs, and it sticks irritatingly to her flesh.

She crosses the threshold into the cave, wandering through the darkness with ease. She'd never be able to forget it.

Klaus' witch…Greta. She'd performed some sort of a spell that had teleported Angela's conscious to a hidden cave—or perhaps it was built. The rocks were uneven, and the edges look as if there had been an attempt to make it smoother and more comfortable. Attempted by a vampire—it looked like.

"Mom? Dad?" she calls out, praying that Greta remained true to her word. Angela had done just as Klaus had asked of her; she'd made Bonnie powerless. She just wants her mom. She wants to curl up with her head on her mother's lap and her dad talking to her, telling her that she did the right thing; that there had been no other way.

It feels cold.

Empty.

Vibes are a strong sense of the atmosphere, and witches in particular are more attuned to them than any other supernatural creature. Angela had learned early on that her special gifts provided her with a heightened sense of vibes around her.

These were bad vibrations. Mockingly empty.

Despair licks at her mind. She gasps as her feet move all around the cave, once, twice…lather, rinse and repeat. She's lost the count.

Her knees buckle. She can't gain any type of support or courage and falls to the wet floor, slight pain shooting through her palms and legs.

Her stomach clenches. Bile threatens to rise up her throat. She gasps for a clean breath as her mind works a mile a minute.

She realizes with horror that Bella had carried out her promise to protect Angela's family. And she had done so, too. Angela on the other hand…

It builds up at the pit of her stomach, her body folding on itself as a tearless sob tears through her, followed by a loud scream.

Somewhere nearby, thunder rolls across the town.

.

.

Bonnie stares at the clock on the wall. The abandoned house practically shudders as wind blows heavily. The smell of soggy wood surrounds her.

Everything had gone as planned so far. John and Alaric are in this "safe house." If only Damon would come back with Tyler, and Stefan with Jeremy…then it would feel a lot less heavily. Everything would be perfect.

The hour hand hits eleven.

Damon texts her to let her know of Klaus' plan.

Wait time is over.

With a heavy heart, she walks out the open door, not bothering to shut it behind it. The night is silent, except for the random burst of thunder from a moment earlier and the ruffling of the branches. The forest is thinning as she gets further from the small cabin and the crunches of leaves sound from beneath her feet.

Her plans are clear in front of her. She knows what her role is, she knows what everyone's role is, but she tries to concentrate solely on hers. Even so, Bella carves her way into her mind. Bonnie can't remember the time she practically hated Bella anymore; she remembers clearly the woman who had fallen for Damon.

And Damon…Bonnie can remember why she hated him, yet all of those attributes are nearly foreign to him now. Well, they were for the last few days. If only she could…

_No! _She screams at herself. Elena—Elena needs to be the focus tonight. Her best friend will have to come before the hybrid. There is no way Bonnie can let her childhood friend die. Her sense of right and wrong are making her a bit bias right now. She's been fighting against them, but it's time to come to terms that Bella shouldn't exist. Hybrids shouldn't exist.

And it's up to Bonnie to see that Klaus does not succeed in his plan, even if it does kill a part of her heart.

Her fingertips twitch. She wants to use her powers just to reassure herself that she's ready, but she's waiting for the right moment. The simplest spell has the power to distract her, along with tiring her a tiny bit. She needs all her energy when fighting Klaus tonight. And just him.

It doesn't take her long to follow the treks to the chosen place for the ritual. She hasn't seen him yet, though in her mind, he's the villain that stands tall and above, yet remains inferior because he hasn't learned the meaning of life.

His stance on the rock isn't much different. He's perched above a girl who is hunched over a large cauldron. It's as if Bonnie's stepped into the _Charmed_ show. She'd never seen her Grams work over a cauldron…however, it's familiar. It's almost like the one that Angela had in her room, only bigger. She brushes it away, her eyes darting to the rings of fire.

There are three; she had been expecting Elena to be in one, but seeing Jeremy and Jenna in the other rings shock her to her core. The sacrifice was supposed to involve a werewolf, a vampire, and the hybrid herself. Jenna and Jeremy were not supposed to be here. They weren't part of the equation!

She struggles to stop the gasp from coming out. She's sure she's able to mask her scent, and Greta seems to be too distracted to notice her…at least Bonnie hopes so.

She edges closer, her eyes looking for a spot that would enable her powers to work before Klaus or Greta notice her.

Elena catches Bonnie's eyes, communicating with words as she looks on helplessly at two fallen bodies on the floor outside of the fire rings: Stefan and Damon.

"She's here," Greta announces.

"Perfect!" Klaus starts. "Now it's a party. Why don't you come out of your hiding spot and see if you can save your friends without your extra powers?"

Damon twitches. His head thrashes from side to side.

Bonnie's brows pull together. She looks down at her fingers as if expecting for sparks to erupt to reassure her.

"Didn't you know? Angela took care of her first priority, just as you should do: yourself before others little one."

"You're wrong." She finds her voice to be strong despite the melancholy that is making her heart pound in her chest. She's hoping that he's wrong, hoping with everything in her that she won't let anyone down.

"It's time, Klaus," Greta informs.

"Lovely. I was hoping my brother would come to join me, seeing as he's been helping me with this cause for the better part of my life, but no regrets nonetheless."

Bonnie's eyes widen as she watches Klaus clutch Jason above him with a hand pressing on his windpipe. They mutter words she cannot hear, just before Klaus' hand punctures the werewolf's chest, taking out his heart to throw into the cauldron.

Blood rushes through her head, making her feel faint.

"Who is next, Bonnie; Jenna or Jeremy?"

"No!" Elena and Bonnie cry out simultaneously.

"Me."

All heads turn to where Stefan and Damon lay—the former still as stone, and the latter withering in pain. John steps out from the dark shadows, his hands behind his back.

Klaus actually looks interested.

"We don't have time, Klaus," Greta urges.

"What do you have to bargain?"

"Myself, in exchange for Jeremy."

"What's in it for me?"

"Reassurance. You need a vampire hunter in your sacrifice; a current one rather than a future one would be more in your favor." John rolls his up sleeve, showing the dark ink itched into his skin.

In one blur, Klaus has John; his hand closing in on the latter's throat and squeezing enough to leave light blue bruises visible even to the dimmest eye.

She starts her chants in her head, her lips moving to mouth the words, her voice not higher than the slightest of whispers. The air around her changes; constricting and releasing, warming it before returning to its cold slumber. It's as if cold water has been thrown on her. She tries again, this time closing her eyes tightly and praying that her ancestors and all those who were burned at the massacre site will support her.

_You're alone in this, Bonnie,_ Emily's voice sounds in her mind.

_What do I do? I don't—I can't…I don't know what to do._

_Weaken Klaus when the sacrifice is to be complete. You will have a chance to kill him then, _she responds.

_What about Elena and Jenna and Jeremy?_

_The balance of nature should always be the first priority for a witch._

Cold air douses over her again. She's alone, again.

Should be the first priority…that doesn't mean Bonnie has to make it so.

Try as she might, she can't do anything. Greta has a protective barrier against the fire rings, and Bonnie cannot even get close to Klaus to do even the littlest of damage.

Bonnie's throat closes up. Her mouth is opening and closing, and a scream has lodged itself in her pipes. She watches as Klaus mercilessly takes John's life, grinning sadistically at Elena as she screams.

Her legs won't move as he does the same to Jenna. Elena's cries go silent, fat tears running down her cheeks faster.

Her own eyes burn with unshed tears.

And when Klaus moves towards her friend, Bonnie breaks into a run, bumping against an invisible wall hard. Her head pounds like crazy; stars dance before her eyes, but she tries again.

And then she feels it.

It's that warmth that always accompanies Emily's presence.

"Stop."

Everything obeys; the wind, the magic, and the breathing. It's eerily silent. Even Klaus doesn't dare move a muscle. His jaw is open, his eyes widening a fraction. Greta on the other hand is vibrating in her spot, confusion filling her expression.

Bella passes by Bonnie, not looking at anyone except Klaus. It's as if the glass barrier doesn't even exist for her. As soon as she steps into the bubble, that feeling of familiarity and comfort is gone.

"Izavella," Klaus breathes out. His voice wraps around Bella's name seductively, intimately. Bonnie peeks at the hybrid to see her reaction; she's completely nonchalant.

"Klaus," Bella greets.

"I thought… No matter what I had thought." He grins. "Come here, let me take a look at you." Not discouraged by Bella's stiff state, he moves to her, his hands moving to touch her shoulder, however, she moves away.

"She's not the one you need to complete the ritual."

"Oh? Enlighten me, love."

"Your affair with Tatia caused a rift in your family. Surely you remember? It caused your mother to blame me; she wanted to kill me, and I survived." Bella shrugs.

Bonnie watches, her heart hammering in her chest as they talk about the sacrifice and the things she already knew. She listens with unintentional fascination how the topic moves from the baby that lead the Petrova bloodline to this generation to the topic about the hybrid gene being dominant in Bella.

She should've been thinking of a way to get rid of this barrier that Greta has. She should've been thinking of spells that could kill Klaus.

She watches in morbid horror as Bella makes the deal with Klaus, covering loopholes. Her eyes find mine.

Her voice is clear as bells in my mind. _He'll be weak during the transition. Emily will remove the spell, and you and Angela will have to disband Greta. Elijah will take care of Klaus._

Angela's hand touches her back in affirmation. Bonnie wants to be bitter; she wants to ask why Angela would remove Damon's shield, but she moves past it for now.

A cry erupts from her mouth when Klaus grabs Bella, not even bothering to be gentle about it, his previous affections all forgotten.

Her nose burns along with her eyes.

Bella's eyes roll to the back of her head as she falls limply in his arms.

She's gone…

Her heart skips a beat as she watches, her mind telling her that Bella's gone, yet something else—something stronger—saying otherwise.

Damon lets out a little groan, and Bonnie can almost feel his desperation. She feels her heart break in two for him.

Klaus drops Bella to the floor, blood dripping down his fangs and chin. His eyes are almost yellow as he gazes towards the moon. Greta's hands move over the cauldron once again, her eyes closing, and Bonnie knows her next course of action as Angela's hand presses her forward.

It's chaos. Loud orders from Greta, roaring from Klaus, and unidentifiable noises all around. It doesn't take long to reach the rocks, and she briefly wonders about how she'll be able to get there without getting a backward spell. But the hurt inside of her has turned into anger—at herself, at the witches, at Angela, at Klaus, at Greta…and so many other things.

Her feet lift off of the ground, hurling her towards the distracted witch. Her fingers find one side of her temple as Angela's find the other, pressing and chanting until she's groaning in pain and falling to her knees.

Klaus' head snaps over to us, a vicious grin spreading across his lips. He pushes his foot past the fire ring that contains Elena, grasping her under the elbows to pull her to her feet. Her cheeks are wet and her nose red, silent sobs still bubbling through her.

"Let Greta go, or she goes."

"You wouldn't; you gave your word to Bella," Angela threatens.

"I told her I wouldn't kill her. I said no word against not turning her into a creature of the night. At least I assume so…unless Bonnie is willing to make her a daylight ring despite the fact that she'll be killing humans."

Bonnie crashes to the ground. She can't move fast enough; Klaus has already latched onto Elena's neck, drinking until she's almost completely dry.

His eyes widen in surprise when a silver dagger pushes through his heart, before a chuckle takes over. "You're a little late, Brother." He tosses Elena away like a ragged doll. He looks at the veins on his skin.

"You can't be killed, Niklaus, but I can put you in a coffin for the eternity to come."

"Then you won't see your family ever again."

Elijah falters. "What?"

"You think I've destroyed them? No, Brother. They're safe, and I'll be willing to get you to them if you take this pesky little thing out of me before I lose all consciousness and permanently 'forget' where I've stored their coffins."

Elijah hesitates for a second, and then the dagger is out of Klaus' chest.

"Elijah, no!" Bonnie doesn't know who screamed it, or maybe they all did, but in staggering movement, Bella gets up from the ground, hurling herself at Klaus.

_Cauldron! The cauldron!_

Angela spreads her hands over the top, her hair flailing around fiercely. There's a rumble of the thunder somewhere above, and Bonnie connects herself to aid the other witch in any way she can. Fire starts to lick at the sides of the black instrument, growing wilder and wilder, grabbing at Klaus and Bella as she pushes him near it.

Damon moves towards her, his eyes barbarian.

And as Klaus looks on in shock at Bella's anger, perhaps he learns that some bonds forged are better than others; family comes before all followers. Family is the only thing that doesn't bail at the first sign of trouble.

Or maybe he doesn't.

.

.

.

.

_The Lockwood's underground cellar by the lake is easily spotted, with no noise other than the painful yelps of…two people turning inside. I'd thought there would at least be a guard or something. _

_I take two steps down, bending at the waist to peek inside. Tyler is chained to the left side of the cell, and Jason on the other. _

_I can't stop the smirk that spreads across my lips at his pathetic state. _

_"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." _

_Jason snarls at me. Tyler looks at me from his hunched state, his eyes pleading. I sigh and pull at the chains. _

_Nothing. _

_I cock up one eyebrow, shrugging. I pull harder, but the chains don't budge. _

_I'm over being patient. My fist creates a dent in the wall, and I pull the metal harder, pressing one foot against the bricks. _

_It swings free. I do the same with the second set, followed by the chains on the feet. Tyler drops down heavily against me, and I push him away. His body folds on itself, groaning. _

_"Damon…" It's a soft voice; it rings out from the darker corner of the cellar. I squint, and see Caroline's blond hair. _

_The darkness from the cave shifts into something light. _

"Say it," you demand.

"No."

"Tell me."

"Isabella…" I whisper out against the skin of your collarbone. The heat from your body is pressing into me through the thin layers of our clothes. You've got my hands locked beside my head, fingers entwined.

You nip at my jaw.

"Tell me you love me."

"You already know it."

"I want to hear it."

"Don't I show you every day how much I do?"

It's the right thing to say—apparently—because I can see you melt.

_My eyes widen. _

_Cold air brushes against my side, and I glance from the corner of my eye as your chocolate brown hair whips behind you. You gain a hand under Caroline, stopping briefly by me. _

_Images of black silk sheets and tangled brown hair flash through my mind. My head jerks to the side, eyes mashing shut together tightly. _

_"Get her out of here, I'll get Tyler." _

_"No, you go." _

_"A werewolf bite will be dangerous to you." _

_"It will be for you, too!" I insist. _

_"We don't have time, Damon." Your tone is exasperated, almost as if you want to slap my head for not following your orders. There's something so familiar in the way you're talking to me. _

_A sharp crack resonates through my mind. I look around, slightly panicked. _

_"What's wrong?" The concern in your voice makes the needle pinches in my head worse. I shake it off, trying to place how you can change your emotions so fast. I feel like I'm getting whiplashed…from more than just your words. _

_You sigh heavily when I look at you with one eyebrow raised, ignoring the pain. "Fine!" You lift Caroline over your shoulder, which is a sight to admire and laugh about—you're a little shorter than her. It makes me grin. I'll have to remember to tease you about that after tonight; I want to see the anger flash through your eyes. _

_Another sharp blow to my head. I rub the back of my neck, wondering what the hell is going on. The last thing I remember after taking Angela to Elena's house is pain. I woke up with a worried Stefan, who exclaimed about being unable to find Jeremy. It was wonderful to see his concern for his brother. _

_I can feel Tyler's bone shifting and breaking and protruding against his skin as I lift him up. _

_"A shower once in awhile won't hurt, Lockwood," I mutter out. _

_He lets out a deafening scream. _

_"You're going to leave me in here?" Jason asks desolately. _

_I freeze, turning my head to look at him over Tyler's hunched head. "You really think I'll save you from whatever Klaus has planned after what you did to me?" _And Bella,_ I want to add. _

_"I didn't do anything to you. You're only pissed at me because it almost exposed you and your brother," he snarls out. His features twist into a wicked gleam, the pain momentarily forgotten. "Or maybe it was because of that brunette beauty. I reckon you wouldn't be so petty if it weren't for her." _

_My eyes narrow. In one second, the chains that were tied around Tyler smack into Jason's stomach. _

"Come on, Damon," you giggle. I bite gently on the ivory skin at your hip, smirking as my lips worship a trail higher and higher, until I reach your lips. Your hands lock behind my head, tugging at the hair and—

_"Oh please!" he yells. "I don't even get why you're defending her! I already know what's happened. Every supernatural being on this earth will know soon enough! Damon Salvatore…the impulsive vampire that fell in love with a hybrid. But wait…it's not love, is it? Is it lust; are you after her body? Or are you trying to keep her happy for the fact that she'll sacrifice herself for the woman who will be Katherine's replacement in your life?" _

_A growl vibrates through my chest. I'm seeing red. _

_"Damon," a soft voice calls. I look up to see you, brows furrowed and lips downturned in a frown. "It's getting late." That translates to:_ _I'd love to smack him around as well, but we don't have time._

Gentle fingers move from my forehead to my lips, tracing back and forth.

"When did you know?" Elena's voice sounds; I don't pay any attention to anything except the softness of your skin.

"When Damon told me that he's sorry, I knew."

"Knew what?" she asks.

"I knew that I would spend the rest of my time tormenting him." A wicked grin slips across your lips.

_I grunt, hauling Tyler up as fast as I can. _

_"It's not love, Damon; you know it, too! If it were love, it wouldn't have been so easy for you to forget her!" _

"I love you."

_Tyler heaves away, falling to the ground as his spine twists to become a small hump._

"I've never met anyone like you."

_Jason's painful yell rings through the otherwise silent forest. You and I exchange a glance, looking at the two bodies on the ground roll painfully. _

_"You should leave," you say. _

"Don't leave." You grip my hand in yours, the sheets tempting me to stay. I almost do, except I remember that the moonstone is in danger, which means you're in danger, and I can't stay with that worry in my mind. And you deserve my full attention.

_"What's wrong, Damon?" _

_"Bambi…" I whisper out. _

_Your eyes widen. _

_My head whips to the right, feeling as if my brain is breaking in a thousand pieces of glass. _

"I'm not going to let you die, Isabella."

"And I won't let Elena die."

"That's your final answer? Where does that leave me in your equation? I'm not going to let you die, Bambi," I repeat.

_"I won't…I won't let you die." _

Ivory neck, bleeding red.

_I can practically taste your blood on my tongue. _

_"No. This isn't happening." You back away slowly. "Oh, Angela…"_

"You're everything."

_ "Isabella!"_

_You run blindly, and before I can follow you, someone jumps on my back, claws digging into my back. I look up from the ground to see Jason—half transformed, with claws, yellow eyes, and teeth, snapping his mouth towards me. There's a demented look in his eyes, and I look helplessly towards the forest. I want so much to run to you, to question you so you can clear this confusion in my head, but I don't want to lead a werewolf towards you. If your scent is so potent to me, it'll probably be the same to him, if not more. _

_Jason's teeth snap towards me, and I kick him in the stomach to send him flying back. He's fast, though. I urge Caroline to start running—or at least walking—instead of crawling away from here. _

_Tyler's screams horrify her, and she starts to cry and help him up. _

_"Get out of here," I tell them through my clenched teeth. _

_Jason's claws dig into my shoulder and I pinch my teeth shut. I struggle to find my balance, trying to throw him off, but he's directing his pain towards his anger. His teeth are just centimeters apart from my flesh when another wolf jumps from my side, pushing him away. _

_I look towards Caroline, only to find her looking at the wolf in horror. _

_Tyler.  
><em>

_But how come Jason hasn't fully transformed if Tyler has already? _

_Jason gives me a withering glare, lost in the howls, and tugs towards the area you left for._

_Tyler's eyes find mine and I stay still. He snarls before heading deep into the forest in a completely different direction. _

_I run towards the sacrificial site blindly. The moon is high in the sky. The air is changing; I can feel the power blending into one. _

_The site is one to behold; rings of fire adorn the otherwise barren ground. _

_Klaus is standing next to an olive-skinned woman, one who has her hands in front of her and on top of a cauldron. She radiates power. _

_"Nice of you to join us, Damon. It's great to finally meet the vampire I've heard so much about." _

_"I'm flattered." Even to my ears, my voice sounds flat. I have no wish to make small talk with Klaus when the only thing I want to do is rip his body into little pieces for satisfaction._

_"Oh no," he starts in a deep British accent; however, unlike Bella's, his isn't so charming. "It's not because of your own stature, but because of Katherine; though I've heard through the grapevine that you're now in love with the doppelganger. It's too bad she'll have to die tonight. I almost feel bad." _

_"It's time," the witch states. _

_Jason lays at Klaus feet, withering in pain. _

_"Good girl, Greta." _

_She visibly simpers under the attention. _

_Pain shoots through my head. _

_"I see Angela has done her job." Klaus smirks. _

_"Damon…"Elena whispers. She's on her knees, in the middle circle. Her eyes are darting to the two fire rings around her, one that contains Jeremy and another that holds Jenna. _

_Wait…Jeremy? He hadn't been a part of the plan. _

_"Save them," Elena mouths to me. _

_As much as I want to, Greta pushes one hand out towards me. It's like the glass barrier in my mind is shattering, one by one. _

_Darkness covers my vision. _

_There are screams, pleas, and chants all over, but I can hear conversations and see images that aren't here…wrong days and wrong times and wrong places, though so right. I want to go back there, but there's another tug that pulls me back to the sacrifice. _

_Light dissipates, being replaced by the bright orange flames. _

_"But you…you promised me, Klaus. You promised to free me from this curse. You promised!" Jason's rampant screams are dull to my ears as images of Stefan, Elena, Bella smiling flash by. _

_"Exactly, Jason; I promised you I would free you from your pain, and I'm doing just that. Our definition of freedom differs," Klaus taunts. _

_The images change again. It's Caroline hugging Bella and trying to get her to laugh after Elena's outburst at the dance._

_"No, not Jenna. Please stop!" Elena's begging reaches my ears and I struggle to find sense of this reality. _

_"Oh, how sweet…your boyfriend is offering to take the place of your aunt. Who will it be, Elena; your boyfriend or your aunt?" _

_"No…" She's crying now, I can tell that much._

_A wretched scream reaches me. _

_"Your turn, pretty," Klaus coos. _

_"Stop." You…you're here. "She's not the . . . Caused your mother to blame . . . Rebekah should've told you as . . . It's a given . . . Your word . . . I'm ready." _

_"Elijah, no!" _

_No! _

_I push past the barrier, in time to see you limping towards Klaus, before throwing all your weight at him. It takes him with surprise, pushing him towards the bubbling center of the large cauldron. My breath is coming out in heavy pants, and all I can hope for is that you catch yourself. _

_It's like you're not even trying. _

_You're nearing the fire. _

_Klaus falls in. _

_And you follow. _

_How could you? _

_Why would you? _

_Was it me? _

_Did I do something or not do something in particular? _

_I hate you. But I don't. _

_Please don't go. _

_How could you do this? _

_Don't do this. _

_I hate you. _

_But I don't._

_I really don't. _

_Bella!_

_My feet pound on the ground as I hurry. _

_I reach out blindly. Skin…soft skin. I grasp your hand and pull with everything I have in me. _

_And I pray that it's enough._

* * *

><p><strong>Send me smiles? I'm in desperate need of them. Just a couple of chapters left...<br>**

**Previews for reviewers. **


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to the wonderfully talented, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**; their sharp red pens make my writing pretty. Mistakes are all mine.****  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>If this life has anything to gain at all<br>I'll count it loss if I can't hear you, feel you, 'cause I need you.  
>Can't walk this earth alone.<br>I recognize I'm not my own, so before I fall  
>I need to hear you, feel you, as I live to make my boast in you alone.<p>

With every breath I take, with every heart beat,  
>Sunrise and the moon lights in the dark street.<br>Every glance, every dance, every note of a song.  
>It's all a gift undeserved that I shouldn't have known.<br>Every day that I lie, every moment I covet  
>I'm, deserving to die, I'm just earning your judgment.<br>I, without the cross there's only condemnation.

-Lecrae

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Her eyes pop wide open as a loud gasp tears through her. Dust particles are falling down all around the room. The sound of leaves moving outside in small gusts of wind and the sound of the Mystic Falls' waterfall reaches her ears. Her eyes dart everywhere, looking at the interior of a house so familiar . . . yet not. She can see each line in the wooden floor of the broken down house, she can see each little crack in the dark part of the stairs without difficulty, and she can hear _everything_.

She can hear the water rushing from the Mystic Falls waterfall, the sound of Elijah and Charlie talking softly, and Bonnie and Caroline murmuring in another room.

Her throat burns. She lifts her head to scratch at it, the strength surprising her and ripping her skin. Traces of blood stain her fingernails. She looks down at her hands, her arms, and her body; everything looks so different. She can see each mole, each pore, and each hair. She scratches at her flesh as if to get away from it. Her nails leave deep wounds in the length of her arm, and she watches with both astonishment and horror as the wounds stitch themselves back up, leaving not one flaw or memory of her skin ever being torn apart.

She knows what she is…but it's taking too long to register. Her thoughts are jumbled, rattled. There isn't an ounce of doubt that she's in transition of becoming a vampire, yet the reason for her fast healing and heightened abilities isn't registering in her mind. Light beams in through the sole window, and her eyes mash shut. Her irises burn as if with acid. A small part of the daylight seeps through the broken part of the glass window and touches her skin.

It burns.

Her arm sets on invisible fire in front of her eyes; her flesh withering away in redness, exposing the layers of muscles and tissues underneath, before they become liquefied as well.

Stefan grabs her around the arms and pulls her away.

"Elena," he coos, as if not to scare away a frightened little animal. "Are you okay?"

Her eyes dart all over his face, before going to her arm. Nothing. No sign of burns, no sign of injury at all.

"What—what am I?"

His eyes narrow in pain. "You're transitioning into a vampire."

She shakes her head vehemently. "That's not right. I didn't die. For me to become a vampire, I would need to die, and I didn't."

"Elena…"

"No, Stefan. You're wrong. It's not possible."

His hands grasp her shoulders, shaking her. "You did die, Elena. You died when Klaus nearly drained you and broke your neck."

"N—No…" She backs away from him, pushing his hands off of her with a strength that surprises her. "Not possible…no, it can't be. Why am I bleeding, Stefan?" she asks, hysterical.

"You're not bleeding..."

She scratches her skin again, but this time, there isn't any puncture on her skin, nor the fast healing. Her head spins.

Klaus…

Greta…

Drained…

Jeremy!

Her world spins, her eyes rolling back to her head for a few minutes. Stefan leads her to the couch, pushing her gently so that she's sitting. Caroline and Bonnie have joined them, their faces laced with worry…and caution.

"Where's Jeremy?" Elena asks.

Caroline breaks, sitting down next to Elena in a second. She could see the blonde vampire's every twitch, every step as if it weren't a complete blur.

"You got him, right? Nothing happened to him, right?"

"Don't you remember anything?" Bonnie questions, her voice incredibly low, but somehow, Elena manages to hear.

"What do you mean?"

Bonnie's voice goes an octave higher. "Don't you remember John? Jenna?"

"What do you remember last, Elena?" Stefan asks softly.

"I…I remember Klaus, and you and Damon…and Klaus talking about Jeremy being next to be sacrificed and...and..." Her voice takes on a hysterical tone. She's gasping for breath, feeling each one to be a painful pull, burning deep in her lungs.

"Jeremy is fine, Elena," Stefan states strictly. He watches helplessly as no words register in her mind, watches as she claws at her skin as if it weren't her own. He should've expected this; what newborn vampire who didn't want to be a vampire in the first place would be comfortable in her own skin? He's unable to do anything to get her out of her denial phase.

Until Caroline's hand snaps across Elena's cheek, the sound resonating through the room. Bonnie watches from the corner of the room as the other two try to coax the newborn into her new reality as the day rises to illuminate the wrecked house.

The confusion surrounding everything is still ever so present, but things are starting to clear. The loss of two parental figures is largely constant, an empty hole deep in her chest that reminds her constantly that she'll never be able to see Jenna smile again, or sleep over at the Gilbert house and have Jenna bring in chick flicks and giggling endlessly with them as if she were a teenager, too. Bonnie finds herself surprised that she'll even miss John's unwanted presence. The way that he sacrificed himself for Jeremy…for Elena…it has earned respect in her eyes just as she hopes he has in Elena's.

And amidst all the confusion and horror, there's the relief that Elena is safe…that Jeremy is safe. Thoughts of last night make her shiver; seeing Damon and Stefan's unconscious body, and having Klaus announce that Jeremy would be sacrificed next.

Bonnie shakes her head sharply. No, it's over. There's nothing to worry about; Klaus is dead, Elijah is planning on leaving the town, and everything will be okay again.

But it won't be.

Elena won't be the same girl anymore, and Bonnie's not sure if she will be, either. How can someone bounce back from seeing what they have seen? From what they have done? At the age of 17, she has killed someone, with so much rage towards him that she'd been able to open a portal to the other side to push his soul to… Will there ever be a time when the sight of Klaus's gaping, horrified face won't come across the back of her closed eyelids?

As Elena's face fills with despair, Bonnie knows that the newborn vampire is finally accepting herself and her present. She nods towards Stefan and steps back into the room that Elijah and Charlie occupy. They're sitting close together, whispering softly. They seemed to be each other's only consolation at the moment; they'd both lost their daughter in a sense. And it had brought them together. Bonnie's lips tilt slightly upward when she notices their clasped hands . . . if only Bella could see them now.

Bonnie whispers a soft 'sorry,' even after Charlie had told her it was completely unnecessary. It's a chapter that needs closing.

She heads outside, the gloomy day a surprise. There's only one place that would make her feel better, that would make everything clear—her Grams.

The sharp cold breaths to her lungs hurt, but it reminds her that she's alive even after the nightmare of yesterday. She pays no heed to the hurt in her legs, but she sags to the grass in front of her grandmother's gravestone. She lets everything out: her fears, her doubts, her mistakes, and her sins.

And the warmth she feels afterwards reassures her that she's not alone, that she's neither weak nor wrong.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

"So the cauldron opened the portal to the other side?"

"I had your necklace—the one that Bonnie destroyed before. Since the original witch was on the other side when she controlled you, it made it slightly easier to get the door open for him."

"Klaus won't be coming back?"

"After all the dues he has to pay with the witches and those he murdered, he will never be coming back," Angela explains further.

"Not to mention his body was burned to ashes," Elijah adds, dressed impeccably. There's a slight tenseness in his posture, the only evidence that he's affected by the death of his younger brother. "My sister, Rebekah, was left the necklace—that Stefan gave to you—to protect. My mother was quite certain that with Rebekah's temperament, no harm would come to it. She was wrong about that too. As for me, I will be leaving town immediately, and I believe Charlie will be leaving soon as well. Goodbye."

Elena opens her mouth to respond, but he's gone before she can gather her thoughts. His emotions are justified; he'd been a father figure to Bella and he would feel her loss deeply…just as Elena is for Jenna and John.

"And John sacrificed himself for Jeremy?"

Stefan's thumb rubs across her knuckles as he grips her hand tight. Caroline rubs a hand down Elena's back.

"He did."

"And Jenna?"

"I'm sorry…I coul—I tried…I wasn't able to save her," Stefan replies softly.

Elena stays silent for a few minutes, her mind reeling back to the loss. Stefan hadn't been kidding; her emotions are heightened to the point where one over weighs the other. One moment she's feeling as if her chest will rip into two, and the next moment she's thankful that Jeremy's alive. She wallows in nostalgia at the thought of Jenna and John, and celebrates the victory of ridding Klaus from their lives. And there's this deep respect for John that's made a home in her chest.

She takes a deep breath. "I want to give them a proper funeral."

"Okay, I'll get started on that," Caroline states, her expression soft. "But you have to feed, Elena."

"She doesn't have to do anything," Stefan counters. "Give her some time to think."

"And I want to meet Damon," Elena interrupts, "Right now."

.

.

Her eyes hurt against the day's glaring light. The sun is hidden behind puffs of dark clouds, and Elena tests it by putting out just a hand. It doesn't burn as much as she had thought before, only a slight pinch; had it just been a hallucination before? She looks towards Stefan for explanation.

"You're in transition; you haven't fully done so."

"How long do I have?"

"Until midnight."

She nods, her legs moving faster. The temperature drop doesn't make her shiver. She fails to notice that Stefan has to practically jog to keep up with her. She clings to her arms, afraid of doing anything that might result in a crack like the doorknob had earlier.

She follows Stefan's directions, stopping just outside of the rings of fire that had contained her and her family yesterday. The sight that had been so imposing yesterday is bright today; if the clouds hadn't been threatening to burst open into heavy rain, it would've looked like a pretty meadow, without the grass.

It's different from yesterday; there are still dark rings on the floor from the fire; however, there is no other evidence anything but nature might have happened.

Her eyes widen as she finds Damon sitting on a large boulder, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. His hands are clasped together, his expression almost serene.

This hadn't been what Elena expected.

She follows his eye line, understanding drawing upon her. Bella's body is lying on a small bed made of stones, almost as if Damon had carved it like that. She checks his hands, only to find his skin perfectly intact…but the dirt on his clothes suggests otherwise.

Thunder rumbles above them.

She briefly wonders if the people of Mystic Falls are wondering why they should be expecting heavy rain in the summer.

"Damon," she whispers.

His head moves a little to acknowledge her, his eyes not straying.

She moves closer, the crunching of leaves and twigs beneath her feet much too loud. She sits beside him silently, concentrating on the sound of Stefan's light heartbeat. He's keeping a little distance, but feeling _and_ hearing him gives her the push she didn't know she needed.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

"I like rain," Damon responds not a second too late.

"I meant for Bella…" Elena pauses. "Do you want to hold a funera—"

"No," he snarls.

Elena's expression crumbles, her bottom lip quivering. "I'm sorry. You must hate me," she says sadly.

"Why would I hate you?" Damon questions.

"Because I survived and she didn't."

He says nothing as his chest tightens at the thought and his eyes close briefly. He wraps a hand around Elena's shoulder, giving her a light, one-sided hug before letting her go. It's the most he can do in this situation, and Elena understands the significance of it. Damon doesn't initiate physical contact with people, and he rarely gives hugs.

"It was her choice, Elena. We only need blame one person, and we've already kicked his ass." Elena moves to get up, but Damon grasps her wrist gently in his hand, his eyes hesitant. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have met her in the first place. You have nothing to feel guilty about, Elena. In the end, it was her choice."

Tears leak from the corner of Elena's eyes, and she hurries to brush them away and she steps towards Bella. It's almost as if she's cascaded in a glass tomb; her features are so prominent against her pale skin, the fullness of her cheek pressing in as if she were starved.

Thump.

Thump.

Elena startles, brushing it off as her imagination. She touches Bella's hand before moving towards Stefan, her decision clear in her mind. Just as Bella had made her choice, Elena has a few hours to tie up her loose ends and then decide what she wants to do. Until she closes all her chapters, she can't make her mind—she refuses to let anything influence the outcome today.

Thump.

Her head snaps towards Bella, disbelief on her face.

"Did you hear that?"

Stefan's expression is one of wonder, and Damon's is reluctant. "I thought I was just imagining it," he states.

Stefan grabs Elena's hand from behind, pressing his chest to her back. "Is she alive?"

Damon shrugs. "I thought I was just seeing and hearing things I wanted to. There's something else, too," he states, tilting his head up to look at the sky.

It breaks free, rain pouring down to soak into all three of their clothes, but the stones that Bella lies on remain dry.

Glass tomb?

But it can't be; Elena had touched her hand; there wasn't anything covering her, yet not a drop of water hits her skin or her clothes.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Bella's eyelashes flutter across her cheeks before they open. It's bright—white bright. Empty—or seemingly empty. It's impossible to tell if there are walls or if she's floating in a white cloud, or if she's in a white room that doesn't have a corner.

"You kept me waiting a long time."

Her head snaps to her right, her lips parting in surprise. "Edward?"

"Bella," he breathes out.

Something clutches at her chest, drawing her into darkness and the smell of rain before she's kneeling right before her _deceased_ husband.

"I'm dead? Does that mean Klaus is dead, too?"

"He is, and so are you, but you don't have to be."

"What does that mean?" Her head hurts.

"There are people waiting for you to come back."

"But I can't—"

"Yes you can. You can have anything you want."

Something grasps her, and she's pulled away from Edward once again.

_"I thought I'd never love anyone after Katherine, but then you came into my life. You may not have been my first love, but you will be the last, because you're everything, and I'll carry you in my every heartbeat, every breath, every thought, and every dream."_ Damon…

"Did you tell him you love him?" Edward's so casual about it. She moves closer, testing his presence by touching his arm, and when she's able to feel him, she collapses on him. "I did."

"Go tell him again."

"What?" she questions again, her eyes mystified."Why me? Against all odds I have lived and I've survived, and I'll cheat death once again?"

"Because you promised them; you never break that. I think there's someone here that's very thankful to you and is giving you another chance. We don't have much time."

"What is this place?"

"The other side."

Doubt clouds her face. "I didn't expect it to be…so white."

He chuckles softly. "It can be anything I want it to be. I can paint the white walls in our memories—the first day we met, or our wedding." He drops a kiss on Bella's temple.

"But you—"

"I'm just happy to see you smile. I'm not really dead either, Bella. I'll live in here." He touches the top of her heart, his palm warm. "I've already given you my heart; it matters not if I don't have a body on earth. Someone who loves like I did you doesn't die when his breath cases to exist. You'll keep me alive, Bella. I want to apologize for not being strong enough to live this life with you, but I think we can all chalk that up to destiny. Go live for me; be happy. Keep my heart safe."

There's so much she wants to do; she wants to hug Edward and tell him that she loves him, but there isn't any time. Cold air pushes into her lungs unconsciously, launching her into coughing fits, the sharp sounds in her ear causing her eyes to roll back into her head.

.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

Damon carries Bella into the broken down house, drenching wet. Elena and Stefan follow close behind.

Caroline and Bonnie are startled, murmuring questions about Damon finally losing his mind, but they watch in surprise as Stefan and Elena back up his story.

The moment Caroline hears Bella's heartbeat, she lets out a sound from her throat, blurring to stand behind Damon, as close as she can get without disturbing him.

Charlie's face lights up with hope for a small minute before falling back into despair. Until his ears perk up.

"Is it possible?"

They fret over it as a hand settles over Bonnie's shoulder from the back, causing her to jump.

She whirls around to find Jeremy, dark circles under his eyes, but very much alive. "Jeremy," she breathes out.

He sags into her arms in relief, wrapping his around her tightly.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," he murmurs into her ear repeatedly.

Her hands fist his shirt, clinging with worry that he might disappear any time.

"Is she…is Bella…?" he trails off, his tone of voice shocked.

"I don't know, I can't tell what they're saying." Frustration gnaws at her.

Elena's head turns to call out to Bonnie when she spots Jeremy, a cry spilling from her lips as she throws herself at him.

"Ow! Elena!" he yelps.

"Sorry, sorry," she repeats, moving back to a safe distance. "I didn't think I'd have the strength yet."

"So it's true." He sounds resigned.

"You know?"

"I saw enough."

Jeremy hugs Elena, and tightens his arms despite her protests. After seeing Jenna's collapsed body, he'd witnessed the entire sacrifice in an out of body experience, unable to move even a limb. And now isn't any different; he's thankful for his sister still being alive, but he's also mourning the loss of his aunt and his uncle—despite how much he might have—at one point hated the man—his uncle.

All the emotions get put aside when Bella's still form shudders violently on the couch, before she takes a loud breath, her eyes snapping open and wild.

* * *

><p><strong>Next chapter is the last one before this story is marked complete. :) No previews this time...<br>**


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: I own neither Twilight nor the Vampire Diaries.**

**Thanks to the wonderfully talented, **_Dark-Supernatural-Angel_ **and **_TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake_**; their sharp red pens make my writing pretty. Mistakes are all mine.****  
><strong>

**Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Feel your presence filling up my lungs with oxygen<p>

I take you in

I've died

Rebirthing now

I wanna live for love wanna live for you and me

Breathe for the first time now

I come alive somehow

Rebirthing now

I Wanna live my life wanna give you everything

Breathe for the first time now

I come alive somehow

Right now

-Skillet

* * *

><p>"Edward says 'hi'. And that he will strike lightening on you if you ever hurt me." It's the first thing that Bella says when she looks at Damon, her eyes so intense that Elena has to look away to avoid intruding.<p>

There's a sharp intake of breath from Charlie, but he remains motionless as long as he can stand it. When Damon doesn't move an inch from his perch in front of Bella, Charlie pushes him out of the way with a soft yelp, pulling Bella into his arms.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? How did this happen? I thought you were dead? You smell different."

Bella glances at everyone in the room, as if jogging her memory. Her eyes go pitch black as soon as Jeremy and Alaric come into her view.

Her voice is strained and rough as she whispers to Damon to get her out of there. They blur away, Bella in his arms as Charlie tries to follow close behind. He doesn't get far as Elijah crosses his path.

"What just happened?" Alaric mutters out, his eyes wide.

"I think she cheated death," Jeremy replies.

"That's not possible, though . . ." Bonnie croaks.

"Why were her eyes so black? I've never seen her lose control that way." Elena's eyes narrow at the thought in confusion.

"She's mentioned before that every time she died she had to be retrained."

"...That her anklet kept her humanity in check," Elena finishes Bonnie's sentence. She looks down to her foot, lifting her jeans to display the lapis lazuli nestled between a circle of diamonds as a roaring lion finishes the touch as the dangling crest. The silver of the chain is a pleasant contrast against the tan of her skin.

"I have to get this to her," Elena breathes out. She makes a move to remove it, but Stefan grabs her arm, spinning her smoothly to lock her between his arms. He's still shaken by the fact that he could've lost her so easily, both before and after she woke up as a vampire. And even now, the chance of losing her looms over him; she could so easily dictate her decision of not completing the transformation. Then he would be left alone for eternity.

He shakes his head to dispel those thoughts; it won't do any good for either of them to be negative at the moment. "Keep it until she asks for it. I don't think she will," he whispers to her.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"These are disgusting," Bella mutters out as she drains the blood bag.

Damon smirks. "Blood is blood."

"No. Fresh blood is blood; blood bag is yuck."

"You're just saying that because you're hungry."

"Why won't it go away?" Bella moans, putting a hand to her stomach. She'd experienced hunger before; that abdomen and throat clenching thirst whenever she'd been around a vampire, but this . . . this is worse. There's this constant ache at the pit of her stomach, and the dryness of her throat that makes her want to claw at it.

Her movement sparks the sunlight on the gem of her ring, the one he'd given to her just moments ago. It's a spare one of his, one that fit perfectly on his pinky, yet remains big on her middle finger. The lapis lazuli contrasts so vividly, so intensely against Bella's pale skin, and his stomach clenches at the idea of seeing his ring on her finger. He will definitely make sure it stays there.

"Stop being so dramatic."

"Damon . . . I need blood. Fresh blood. This isn't doing anything," she pleads.

He looks at her sympathetically. "I can't. Not until you can control yourself around humans."

She scoffs. "I've been alive for a long time; I think I've learned self control."

"What happened when Jeremy and Alaric walked into the room?" He moves closer to her, his voice a low murmur, ever so seductive. His eyes widen a bit, and she finds herself trapped in them. "When you smelled their blood, heard it pumping through their veins? You could see the veins in their throat, couldn't you?"

Veins protrude around her eyes, her fangs descending, and she looks away ashamed. "This isn't me."

"No, this is you."

She looks towards him for clarification.

"This is the nature of a vampire, Bella. That constant hunger is a reminder of what you are, who you are, and that can be liberating. It's not always so bad."

She lifts her hands to trace his features, and he closes his eyes at her touch. The stress of the past two days that he kept repressed has shown again. He'd lost her, had actually lost her. He didn't understand the higher power, he didn't really believe in it. In his Bible studies, he'd been taught that God was God because he was perfect; there wasn't another attribute you could possibly add that would make him more perfect, and he was immortal. Nothing else was to be immortal, yet vampires were. He's the living proof of it.

But now . . . Maybe God is real. Or there's a higher power that's clearly happy with something he's done and forgiven his mistakes, and sent Bella back to him. He silently sends out his thanks to whomever it had been.

A timid voice calls out from his side. "Bella?"

Elena looks worse for the wear. The circles under her eyes are getting darker as her time runs out, and she's shaking. Her fingers, her legs, and even her voice is shaky. As much as Damon doesn't want to leave, Elena needs this.

Bella sits back on the large rock, slyly pushing the blood bags behind it with her foot.

"What's up?"

Elena moves closer to her, slowly as if assessing her mood.

"I don't bite," Bella humors dryly.

"Do you want this back?" She points to her ankle.

Bella thinks for a few minutes, her brows pulling together. "No. I need to learn how to control myself now; I don't think I have the come-back-to-life-for-free card anymore."

Elena cracks a smile.

"How did you . . .? I saw you fall into the fire."

"See, I have a theory." A throat clears from nearby and a rustle of leaves. Bella rolls her eyes. "Excuse me; I mean, Damon has a theory. He thinks the werewolf part of me died, not the vampire part."

"Then how come Klaus isn't back?"

"Perhaps the creatures he's murdered in his lifetime got a hold of him. I could feel him being ripped apart from my hands when I pushed him in. Something pushed me to a different direction than him."

"Do you think that's how it is when people die? They get pushed towards heaven or hell?"

Bella hesitates. "I don't know. I used to see Edward every time I died; he'd always tell me that he's waiting for me. I like to think he's in heaven, but I can't think of a reason why I would have a place there. Then again, I can't think of a reason why I'd be sent back to earth."

"Maybe because we all needed our friend back."

Bella smiles softly. "Yeah, maybe."

"So you're a vampire now. No longer a hybrid?"

She hums in response. "How long do you have?" She refrains from asking how it happened; a power-hungry man would never respect wishes based on his word alone.

"A couple more hours. I don't really know."

"Have you decided?"

"I don't want to die, but how do I know I can handle living this life? Drinking blood, never aging, never having kids . . . and then repeat all over again. We can't stay in one place, we can't set down our roots."

"Then you have to spread your wings and fly. It's not so bad, especially since you'll have the chance to be with Stefan and Caroline for the rest of your life."

"What about Damon and you?"

"Us too."

"Jeremy and Matt and Bonnie and Alaric? They'll grow old and we won't."

"It doesn't have to be that way. They could ask to be changed into vampires; it's their choice."

She searches Bella's eyes for humor, but the vampire is serious. Elena had never given thought to Jeremy being a vampire; it was something he had wanted earlier after all, though it was only to get away from the pain of Anna's death.

"Think about it; you would be with Stefan forever. I can't think of a more beautiful way to spend eternity. And you could adopt. There are so many children without parents that you could offer a life of happiness to."

"You think I should go through with it." It's not a question. Elena fiddles with her thumbs, looking distantly into the forest. Her eye sight is better than before, and she suspects it only gets better after the transformation.

A part of her wants it. The whole immortality, living forever without aging a day thing. It's tempting-the thought of traveling the entire world, perhaps even staying in many towns for a while. They would live to see the new technology, to see the new world. They could get as many PhDs as they wanted in their lifetime; hell, they might even find cure for cancer. Perhaps Elena could become a doctor . . . save lives instead of ending them like they were made to.

And then the image of being without Bonnie and Jeremy surrounds her, and she's lost in the sorrow again.

Bella interrupts her thoughts. "I don't think anything. It's solely your decision-don't let what we want pressure you."

They watch as the light fades into a soft hue of pinkness as the sky colors itself red. The sun is setting, the time running out. Their shoulders are touching, but they don't speak. It's a moment that doesn't need words; it just needs the comfort of a dear friend supporting any type of decision Elena makes. Knowing that none of her friends will judge her regardless of the decision she makes, she murmurs her last words as a human.

"I want this."

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Graduation Day

Wide smiles and bright eyes greet Elena in the auditorium. They were to head out into the field in a line in half an hour, and the excitement across the room makes her head buzz.

As if Caroline hadn't already been jittering enough.

The blonde vampire had driven the entire Gilbert house into a frenzy. Bonnie and her had stayed over with Elena the night before, setting the alarms for the wee hours of the morning despite the fact that they didn't have to be at school until the afternoon.

The thought of Alaric and Jeremy being outside on the benches with a camera in hand to make memories of her High School graduation fills her with the warmth of joy. There's longing for her parents and Jenna, but she knows that they're proud of her, and her decision. They're watching over her, just as Edward is over Bella. It's a faith that she doesn't want to shake off.

She hopes to see Charlie and Elijah outside as well, but she doubts that'll happen; the two father figures are probably frolicking in the forest back at Forks. She'd gone to visit them earlier with Stefan and Jeremy, and they'd been surprised to find more than friendship between the two. It was sweet, though; the smiles and the happiness palpable.

Stefan wraps his arms around her from the back. His touch brings a thousand goosebumps to her skin, causing her to shudder. Even though they've been dating for nearly two years, she still has the same reaction to him. He still makes her heart beat like crazy.

The months between Klaus' demise and their graduation were spent training her. Even though she had Bella's anklet, she didn't want to depend on an object to keep her thirst at bay; she wanted to learn self-control. And Stefan, ever so compliant, began testing her by using blood bags at first, and then taking her to night clubs at the nearest large city. What began as a difficult course got easier, almost up to the point where she didn't need the anklet.

Especially since Stefan got her a ring that Bonnie enchanted for her ring finger. It wasn't a proposal-more like a promise for eternity.

And what a wonderful time it will be; they were set to go to Italy for the famous vineyard tours next month, and promises of more sight-seeing lured ahead.

Matt, Bonnie, Tyler, and Caroline join Elena and Stefan. The happiness on their faces is unparalleled. Even though Bonnie still has nightmares, and Matt is afraid of stepping too close to them after learning the truth about his little town, the last few months that were spent relatively drama-free were much needed.

Angela had gone back to Forks to her family, and while she couldn't come back for their graduation, she had send each and every one of them a beautiful gift. It was her way of wishing them the best for the coming years.

The only people missing are Bella and Damon.

Elena's anxious to see them. They would visit for the weekend, and then leave for the week to a new place. Bella had been having a harder time learning to control her thirst than Elena did, and the hunger had silently mocked the older vampire. When Damon suggested they travel, Bella had jumped at the chance. It had been a selfish act, but Elena tried to understand. She'd been patient.

But this is her graduation. A new step in all of their lives. They were going to move from Mystic Falls-all of them-after coming back from Italy. They had decided on going to USC. Los Angeles is a big city; no one would remember them twice, and fitting in would be much easier than it would be in a small town. They would all rent a house to fit the eight of them, and they will stay until it got near suspicious.

The announcement is made to form two lines. The students dressed in red were to head into the right lane, and those wearing gold would enter the football field through the left lane, merging in between.

Elena breathes out slowly, and smiles as she watches Tyler squeeze Caroline's hand. After much groveling for his wrong doings, Caroline had forgiven him.

Small town means small amount of family. The field benches aren't crowded, and as her eyes scan it, she finds Bella and Damon easily. They're sitting next to Alaric and Jeremy, an obscene amount of graduation teddy bears and balloons surrounding them. Bella waves to her excitedly, her other hand clutching a black camera.

Elena lets out a laugh, waving back just as enthusiastically.

When her name is called, and the principal hands her the graduation certificate, she holds it up in the air proudly, the wide smile on her face as real as she is.

The ceremony is over quickly. The organizers release doves from underneath the stage and Chinese lanterns into the slowly darkening evening. A step forward in their life, indeed.

There is talk of the after-graduation-party, and invites are thrown out, but Elena doesn't pay attention to any of it. She hurls herself into Stefan, and the rest of her friends join in on the hug. If anyone had asked her early this year if she could see herself walking to collect her diploma, she would've replied in negative . . . and yet here they were, getting ready to move on to the next phase: University.

"Elena!" Jeremy's feet pound on the ground as he hugs his sister, the others pulling away to give them a moment. She'd taken Bella's words to her heart, and she'd given her brother a choice of whether or not he would want to become a vampire. She wouldn't force him to choose either fate; she'd dealt with her own opinions about vampirism mixing in with Jeremy during late night writings in her diary. He'd opted to stay human for the meantime, assuring Elena that if he wanted to be a vampire, she would be the first person to know.

And then he would tell Bonnie.

Their relationship had flourished. Despite the one year age gap between them, the two understood each other in an indescribable way. Jeremy was able to bring a sense of protection that Elena couldn't for the nights that Bonnie had trouble closing her eyes for the fear of what she would see behind her eyelids. He would hold her tight, whisper into her ear all night long if he had to just to keep her calm and give her a good night's rest. And he never once complained.

Bella isn't far behind. Elena wraps her arms around Bella's neck, the familiar scent of spearmint lingering on her friend. Bella had developed a strange liking for that flavor to curve her appetite, but the last time Elena had talked to her, she'd mentioned how her control had gotten much, much better. Bella had made it sound like the thirst was practically nonexistent.

Elena pulls back, cocking up an eyebrow in question.

"These things are addictive," Bella explains with a sheepish grin. Her hair is longer now, reaching just a little past her hips. The curls frame around her face, bringing out the deep brown of her eyes. Elena can still remember how happy Damon had sounded when he'd called Bella 'Bambi' again the day she'd woken up.

"Graduated, huh? How does it feel?"

"Bloody awesome!" Tyler howls from behind them. "Can you believe it? No more of this school anymore!"

"You'll miss it when you get out of here," Bella teases.

Elena takes the chance to hug Damon lightly. He's not much for physical contact, but it seems appropriate right now. Stefan even takes the chance after she steps away.

"When did you guys get here?" he asks.

"Earlier in the afternoon," Damon replies. Bella hands the new graduates their white teddies, each one sporting a different shade of red graduation cap, gown, and silk ribbon wrapped around a white diploma. "We have a surprise for you."

Stefan looks at his brother with wide eyes. "No."

Damon rolls his eyes "It's not like the last one."

"I had a lot of trouble getting that glue out of my hair!"

"You should've taken my suggestion and gone bald."

Stefan glares at his older brother, tempted to put Nair into the Damon's favorite shampoo, but the thought that Bella might use it accidentally halts that train of thought.

His eyes soften when he looks at her. He's grown to think of her as a little sister. She would call in a few times a week, and they would talk about every little thing. Despite what Elena believed, Bella had gotten good in her control; that wasn't the reason that Damon and her had stayed away until now. Bella hadn't been comfortable in her skin-or her vampire skin. Damon had taken her to isolated cabins so she could run free without the worry of someone watching her. He wanted her to learn control, and when she'd done that, he wanted her to embrace this new life. All she had known her entire life was control, and Damon was tempted to strip her bare of it before helping her regain her footing.

And he had. She now knew control like she hadn't before.

Elena and Stefan take a moment to mingle with Caroline, Tyler, and Bonnie's parental figures before taking their leave. They would have to start packing soon, not only for their travel, but for their move.

Life's an exciting little journey. Just like how Charlie and Elijah had found themselves together in the toughest of times and coming out with a little more than friendship, the rest of them gained something too.

A new direction. They would have to learn to face the things they would do daily and wake up the next morning to realize that they're changed. Everything that they do changes a little bit of them inside, and they would have an eternity to shape themselves. Or at least years together, because there is no way that Elena will let anything come between their friendship after the life and death fight with Klaus. They'd gotten through the toughest time of their life together; how much worse can the world throw at them?

Elena tangles her arm with Bella's, walking ahead of the Salvatore brothers, talking about the littlest things in life, the littlest of joys. They make plans to visit certain places in the world together; they make plans to go shopping in another country.

The world is limitless.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

_Bonnie smiles at me from her perch on the piano seat. I have to will myself to slow down._

_One step, two step, three step . . ._

_Damon's eyes find mine. The pastor and Stefan, although are standing beside him, disappear. His baby blue eyes will me to walk faster, to reach closer to him, but I resist. This day needs to be perfect. _

_Stefan leans back towards Damon; I can hear them clear as day. "Wish that you were the one getting married now?"_

_He doesn't look towards his younger brother to answer; his full focus is on me, and he's looking as happy as ever. "No," he addresses Stefan. "I'm more than content right now, with the way things are."_

_So am I. We travel, we live like a family in a different city every few years, and we fight like crazy. And the make-up afterwards is pretty damn explosive, too-in a good way._

_I find my spot on the second step at the altar of the church. The bride march plays, and all our family friends move to their feet to look at the bride. Elena's glowing with her white dress bringing out the light in her eyes and the dirty blonde highlights in her otherwise red hair. Jeremy leads her down the aisle proudly, and winks at me before going to stand behind Damon._

_Her planning has given way to a beautiful wedding, and their vows bring tears to our eyes. The emotions between them are palpable, and everything is over far too soon. Elena had been at this madly for the last four months, jotting down details to the littlest things. She'd even stayed away from Stefan the last two days, going as far as to not even text him. And she'd made me do the same._

_She called it 'helpful'; I called it 'torture'. After waking up to Damon for the last few years, these mornings have dreadful._

_As the couple have their first dance as man and wife, Damon kisses my fingers, keeping a tight hold on my hand. The silence between us is comfortable, familiar, and it gives me a chance to just watch. Even though Elena had initially wanted her closest friends-meaning those who knew she is a vampire- to comeshe'd grown to the idea of a grand wedding._

_Enough years have gone by that we can't go back to Mystic Falls without raising suspicion-Jeremy included. Matt had found a lovely girl at USC and had remained there while we moved to London. Jeremy asked to be changed into a vampire at the age of twenty when Alaric teased him about getting a gray hair from studying too much. Alaric remained human from choice, though._

_Bonnie's relationship with Jeremy had hit a rocky stop after his transformation, and the tension had finally alleviated after Elena had begged them to communicate. Now they're back to the way they had started: friends. I grin as I remember the ring Tyler had shown me; we wouldn't be able to handle Caroline high on happiness. _

_Damon tugs my hand to pull me to the dance floor. His arms wrap around me, and mine go to his neck. He smells fresh, like unadulterated male._

_"Where to next?" He murmurs in my ear._

_"Anywhere."_

_"Anywhere?"_

_"As long as I'm with you."_

_"Together," he vows._

* * *

><p><strong>.<br>**

**It's the last chapter, guys. I feel nostalgia creeping up on me already. (I can be persuaded to write an outtake or two!) Information on my next story is available at the bottom. **

**First and foremost: I'd like to thank Dark-Supernatural-Angel and TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake for not only taking time to carefully go through my chapters for mistakes, but for also cheering me on and soothing my fears. They've been with me since the start of the story, and I can't thank them enough. **

**I'd like to thank all the readers-the avid ones that reviewed and those that read silently. The support I've received from this fandom is amazing. **

**I am working on another Bella/Damon, but I will not be posting it immediately. This story has taken nearly two years to finish, and it is completely unfair of me to drag you guys through it. I want to finish writing the next story, or close to finish before I post it. **

**Solace will be continued as planned. **

**Feel free to add me on Facebook, join my group, or PM me as usual! **

**Cheers,**

**Mandy**


End file.
